U.S. patent application number 16/088769 was filed with the patent office on 2020-01-02 for anti-ror2 antibodies, antibody fragments, their immunoconjucates and uses thereof.
This patent application is currently assigned to BioAtla, LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is BioAtla, LLC. Invention is credited to Hwai Wen Chang, Gerhard Frey, Jay M. Short.
Application Number | 20200002414 16/088769 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 60266840 |
Filed Date | 2020-01-02 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200002414 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Short; Jay M. ; et
al. |
January 2, 2020 |
ANTI-ROR2 ANTIBODIES, ANTIBODY FRAGMENTS, THEIR IMMUNOCONJUCATES
AND USES THEREOF
Abstract
A polypeptide having a heavy chain variable region and/or light
chain variable region that specifically binds to Ror2 protein as
well as antibodies and antibody fragments containing the heavy
chain variable region and/or the light chain variable region that
bind to Ror2 protein. Pharmaceutical compositions and kits
comprising the polypeptide or antibodies and antibody fragments
containing the polypeptide are also provided
Inventors: |
Short; Jay M.; (Del Mar,
CA) ; Chang; Hwai Wen; (San Marcos, CA) ;
Frey; Gerhard; (San Diego, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
BioAtla, LLC |
San Diego |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
BioAtla, LLC
San Diego
CA
|
Family ID: |
60266840 |
Appl. No.: |
16/088769 |
Filed: |
May 12, 2017 |
PCT Filed: |
May 12, 2017 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US2017/032357 |
371 Date: |
September 26, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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62447218 |
Jan 17, 2017 |
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62335719 |
May 13, 2016 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
C07K 16/2803 20130101;
A61K 47/6849 20170801; A61K 2039/505 20130101; C07K 2317/94
20130101; A61K 47/6803 20170801; C07K 2317/92 20130101; G01N 33/574
20130101; A61K 38/07 20130101; C07K 2317/33 20130101; A61K 47/6811
20170801; C07K 2317/24 20130101; A61P 35/00 20180101 |
International
Class: |
C07K 16/28 20060101
C07K016/28; A61K 47/68 20060101 A61K047/68; A61K 38/07 20060101
A61K038/07; A61P 35/00 20060101 A61P035/00 |
Claims
1. An isolated polypeptide that specifically binds to Ror2 protein,
said polypeptide comprising a heavy chain variable region including
three complementarity determining regions, said regions having H1,
H2, and H3 sequences, wherein: (a) the H1 sequence is
GYTX.sub.1TEX.sub.2X.sub.3X.sub.4H (SEQ ID NO:1) or
GYSITTGX.sub.29YWN (SEQ ID NO:4); (b) the H2 sequence is
X.sub.5X.sub.6X.sub.7X.sub.8NNGGTGYNQKFKG (SEQ ID NO:2) or
YITYDGSX.sub.30NYNPSLKN (SEQ ID NO:5); and (c) the H3 sequence is
X.sub.9X.sub.10X.sub.11SX.sub.12YX.sub.13YX.sub.14X.sub.15SYFX.sub.16X.su-
b.17X.sub.18 (SEQ ID NO:3) or
CSX.sub.31X.sub.32X.sub.33X.sub.34VX.sub.35X.sub.36X.sub.37LDX.sub.38
(SEQ ID NO:6); wherein X.sub.1 is F or E, X.sub.2 is Y or D,
X.sub.3 is T or C, X.sub.4 is M or D or E or Y, X.sub.5 is G or S,
X.sub.6 is I or E, X.sub.7 is N or C or L or V, X.sub.8 is T or D
or E, X.sub.9 is A or M or T, X.sub.10 is R or H, X.sub.11 is G or
E, X.sub.12 is L or F, X.sub.13 is S or G, X.sub.14 is G or D,
X.sub.15 is N or E, X.sub.16 is D or L, X.sub.17 is Y or C or T,
X.sub.18 is W or L, X.sub.29 is Y or E or R or T, X.sub.30 is K or
N, X.sub.31 is R or G or H or W or Y, X.sub.32 is F or C or N or Q,
X.sub.33 is E or S, X.sub.34 is G or E or F or H or M or Q or S,
X.sub.35 is W or A or I or P or Q or T or V, X.sub.36 is Y or G or
N or Q, X.sub.37 is G or S or T, and X.sub.38 is Y or I.
2. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein the heavy chain variable
region has an amino acid sequence selected from sequences of SEQ ID
NOS: 18-26.
3. The polypeptide of claim 1 in combination with an isolated light
chain variable region including three complementarity determining
regions L1, L2, and L3 sequences, wherein: (a) the L1 sequence is
SATSSX.sub.19X.sub.20X.sub.21MX.sub.22 (SEQ ID NO:7) or
RASESVDRYGNSX.sub.39IH (SEQ ID NO:10); (b) L2 sequence is
X.sub.23TSNLAS (SEQ ID NO:8) or X.sub.40TYX.sub.41LES (SEQ ID
NO:11); and (c) L3 sequence is
QX.sub.24X.sub.25SX.sub.26YPFX.sub.27X.sub.28 (SEQ ID NO:9) or
QQX.sub.42NX.sub.43DPX.sub.44TX.sub.45 (SEQ ID NO:12); wherein
X.sub.19 is V or E, X.sub.20 is S or D, X.sub.21 is Y or C or D,
X.sub.22 is H or G or L, X.sub.23 is G or C or H or P, X.sub.24 is
Q or E, X.sub.25 is R or H, X.sub.26 is S or D or G or I or Q or V,
X.sub.27 is T or D, X.sub.28 is F or D or E, X.sub.39 is F or S or
T, X.sub.40 is R or C or D or E or W, X.sub.41 is N or D, X.sub.42
is T or I or P, X.sub.43 is E or V, X.sub.44 is W or T, and
X.sub.45 is F or T.
4. The polypeptide of claim 3, wherein the light chain variable
region has an amino acid sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 13-17
and 27.
5. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein the X.sub.29 is Y.
6. The polypeptide of claim 1, wherein the X.sub.29 is E.
7. An isolated polypeptide that specifically binds to Ror2 protein,
said polypeptide comprising an light chain variable region
including three complementarity determining regions having L1, L2,
and L3 sequences, wherein: (a) the L1 sequence is
SATSSX.sub.19X.sub.20X.sub.21MX.sub.22 (SEQ ID NO:7) or
RASESVDRYGNSX.sub.39IH (SEQ ID NO:10); (b) the L2 sequence is
X.sub.23TSNLAS (SEQ ID NO:8) or X.sub.40TYX.sub.41LES (SEQ ID
NO:11); and (c) the L3 sequence is
QX.sub.24X.sub.25SX.sub.26YPFX.sub.27X.sub.28 (SEQ ID NO:9) or
QQX.sub.42NX.sub.43DPX.sub.44TX.sub.45 (SEQ ID NO:12); wherein
X.sub.19 is V or E, X.sub.20 is S or D, X.sub.21 is Y or C or D,
X.sub.22 is H or G or L, X.sub.23 is G or C or H or P, X.sub.24 is
Q or E, X.sub.25 is R or H, X.sub.26 is S or D or G or I or Q or V,
X.sub.27 is T or D, X.sub.28 is F or D or E, X.sub.39 is F or S or
T, X.sub.40 is R or C or D or E or W, X.sub.41 is N or D, X.sub.42
is T or I or P, X.sub.43 is E or V, X.sub.44 is W or T, and
X.sub.45 is F or T.
8. The polypeptide of claim 7, wherein the light chain variable
region is encoded by a DNA sequence selected from SEQ ID NOS: 13-17
and 27.
9. The polypeptide of claim 7, wherein the light chain variable
region including three complementarity determining regions L1, L2,
and L3 having sequences of SEQ ID NOS: 10-12 respectively.
10. An anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment comprising the
isolated heavy chain variable region polypeptide of claim 1.
11. The antibody or antibody fragment of claim 10, further
comprising an isolated light chain variable region comprising three
complementarity determining regions L1, L2, and L3 sequences,
wherein: (a) the L1 sequence is
SATSSX.sub.19X.sub.20X.sub.21MX.sub.22 (SEQ ID NO:7) or
RASESVDRYGNSX.sub.39IH (SEQ ID NO:10); (b) the L2 sequence is
X.sub.23TSNLAS (SEQ ID NO:8) or X.sub.40TYX.sub.41LES (SEQ ID
NO:11); and (c) the L3 sequence is
QX.sub.24X.sub.25SX.sub.26YPFX.sub.27X.sub.28 (SEQ ID NO:9) or
QQX.sub.42NX.sub.43DPX.sub.44TX.sub.45 (SEQ ID NO:12); wherein
X.sub.19 is V or E, X.sub.20 is S or D, X.sub.21 is Y or C or D,
X.sub.22 is H or G or L, X.sub.23 is G or C or H or P, X.sub.24 is
Q or E, X.sub.25 is R or H, X.sub.26 is S or D or G or I or Q or V,
X.sub.27 is T or D, X.sub.28 is F or D or E, X.sub.39 is F or S or
T, X.sub.40 is R or C or D or E or W, X.sub.41 is N or D, X.sub.42
is T or I or P, X.sub.43 is E or V, X.sub.44 is W or T, and
X.sub.45 is F or T.
12. The antibody or antibody fragment of claim 10, wherein the
antibody or antibody fragment has a higher binding affinity to Ror2
protein at a value of a condition in a tumor microenvironment in
comparison with a different value of the same condition that occurs
in a non-tumor microenvironment.
13. The antibody or antibody fragment of claim 12, wherein the
condition is pH.
14. The antibody or antibody fragment of claim 13, wherein the pH
in the tumor microenvironment is in a range of from 5.8 to 6.8 and
the pH in the non-tumor microenvironment is in a range of 7.0 to
7.6.
15. The antibody or antibody fragment of claim 10, wherein the
antibody or antibody fragment has a ratio of binding affinity to
the Ror2 protein at a value of a condition in a tumor
microenvironment to a binding affinity to the Ror2 protein at a
different value of the same condition in a non-tumor
microenvironment of at least about 1.5:1, at least about 2:1, at
least about 3:1, at least about 4:1, at least about 5:1, at least
about 6:1, at least about 7:1, at least about 8:1, at least about
9:1, at least about 10:1, at least about 20:1, at least about 30:1,
at least about 50:1, at least about 70:1, or at least about
100:1.
16. (canceled)
17. An immunoconjugate comprising the antibody or antibody fragment
of claim 10.
18. The immunoconjugate of claim 17, wherein the immunoconjugate
comprises at least one agent selected from a chemotherapeutic
agent, a radioactive atom, a cytostatic agent and a cytotoxic
agent.
19. (canceled)
20. (canceled)
21. The immunoconjugate of claim 17, wherein the at least one agent
is selected from maytansinoids, auristatins, dolastatins,
calicheamicin, pyrrolobenzodiazepines, and anthracyclines.
22. A pharmaceutical composition comprising: the antibody or
antibody fragment of claim 10; and a pharmaceutically acceptable
carrier.
23. (canceled)
24. A method of treating cancer comprising a step of administering
the pharmaceutical composition of claim 22 to a patient with
cancer.
25. A kit for diagnosis or treatment, said kit comprising the
antibody or antibody fragment of claim 10 and instructions for
using the antibody or antibody fragment for diagnosis or treatment.
Description
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0001] This disclosure relates anti-Ror2 antibodies, antibody
fragments and immunoconjugates of such antibodies and antibody
fragments and uses of the antibodies, antibody fragments and
immunoconjugates in diagnostic and therapeutic methods.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are a family of cell
surface receptors that regulate a range of normal cellular
processes through ligand-controlled tyrosine kinase activity. Over
the past 20 years, deregulation of RTKs has been shown to play a
critical role in cancer development and progression. RTKs are now
recognized as prognostic molecular biomarkers and as targets of
oncology therapeutics.
[0003] Ror2, also called receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan
receptor 2, is a membrane-bound RTK that is activated by
non-canonical Wnt signaling through its association with the Wnt5A
glycoprotein during normal bone and cartilage development. Ror2 has
only one transmembrane domain, which separates its extracellular
and intracellular domains (FIG. 1). Ror2 is known to play crucial
roles in the normal development of various organs and tissues. In
mammals, Ror2- and Wnt5A-deficient mice exhibit similar
abnormalities during developmental morphogenesis, reflecting their
defects in convergent extension movements and planar cell polarity.
Furthermore, mutations of the human Ror2 gene are responsible for
the genetic skeletal disorders dominant brachydactyly type B and
recessive Robinow syndrome. Ror2 has been found to mediate
polarized cell migration and malfunction of Ror2 results in
heritable skeletal disorders and tumor invasion (Minami et al.,
"Ror-family receptor tyrosine kinases in noncanonical Wnt
signaling: their implications in developmental morphogenesis and
human diseases," Dev Dyn., vol. 239, pp. 1-15, 2010).
[0004] Ror2 has also been reported to have pro-tumorigenic effects.
US 2014/0322234 discloses that the expression and activity of Ror2
in various cancers is different from normal tissues. Thus, it is
suggested that dysregulation of Ror2 plays a role in the
pathogenesis of a variety of human cancers. US 2014/0322234 also
contemplates that antibodies against Ror2 may be used in diagnosis
of cancers and inhibition of cancer cell growth. For example, such
antibodies may be conjugated to a cytotoxic agent that has a high
degree of cytotoxicity for cancer cells expressing Ror2, such that
the cytotoxic agent can effectively kill the cancer cells. The Ror2
gene may also be used in classification of cancers according to the
Ror2 expression pattern in the cancers.
[0005] Ford et al. ("The dual role of the novel Wnt receptor
tyrosine kinase, Ror2, in human carcinogenesis," International
Journal of Cancer, vol. 133, pp. 779-787, 2013) further explores
the mechanism of Ror2 in carcinogenesis. This reference discloses
that Ror2 is involved in the development and progression of
cancers. Specifically, Ror2 has been found to play a pivotal role
in carcinogenesis of numerous cancers including colon cancer,
hepatocellular carcinoma, metastatic melanoma and renal cell
carcinoma. For example, Ror2 is over-expressed in osteosarcoma,
melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, prostate carcinoma, squamous cell
carcinomas of the head and neck and stromal tumors. Ror2 thus has
the potential of being a drug target for cancer treatments by
inhibition of the Wnt signaling pathway.
[0006] Further, Debebe et al., ("Ror2 as a therapeutic target in
cancer," Pharmacol. Ther., vol. 50, pp. 143-148, 2015) discloses
that Ror2 mediates both canonical and non-canonical signaling
pathways. Ror2 is highly expressed in osteosarcoma and renal cell
carcinomas, as well as in melanoma, colon cancer, squamous cell
carcinoma of the head and neck, and breast cancer. In the majority
of these cancer types, Ror2 expression is associated with more
aggressive cancer states. Thus, this reference also suggests that
Ror2 is a potential target for cancer treatment.
[0007] Though monoclonal antibodies against Ror2 are commercially
available, anti-Ror2 antibodies suitable for cancer therapy have
not been reported. The present invention provides anti-Ror2
antibodies or antibody fragments that are suitable for therapeutic
and diagnostic use, especially for diagnosis and treatment of
cancers. Some of the anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody fragments
have a higher binding affinity to Ror2 in a tumor in comparison
with Ror2 present in normal tissue. These anti-Ror2 antibodies or
antibody fragments of the present invention have at least
comparable efficacy as well as a longer half-life, but reduced
side-effects, in comparison with monoclonal anti-Ror2 antibodies
known in the art. This may permit use of higher dosages of these
anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody fragments, thus providing a more
effective therapeutic option without a corresponding significant
increase in side effects.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0008] In one aspect, the present invention provides an isolated
heavy chain variable region polypeptide that specifically binds to
the Ror2 protein. The polypeptide includes three complementarity
determining regions H1, H2, and H3 sequences, wherein: [0009] the
H1 sequence is GYTX.sub.1TEX.sub.2X.sub.3X.sub.4H (SEQ ID NO:1) or
GYSITTGX.sub.29YWN (SEQ ID NO:4); [0010] the H2 sequence is
X.sub.5X.sub.6X.sub.7X.sub.8NNGGTGYNQKFKG (SEQ ID NO:2) or
YITYDGSX.sub.30NYNPSLKN (SEQ ID NO:5); and [0011] the H3 sequence
is
X.sub.9X.sub.10X.sub.11SX.sub.12YX.sub.13YX.sub.14X.sub.15SYFX.sub.16X.su-
b.17X.sub.18 (SEQ ID NO:3) or
CSX.sub.31X.sub.32X.sub.33X.sub.34VX.sub.35X.sub.36X.sub.37LDX.sub.38
(SEQ ID NO:6);
[0012] wherein
[0013] X.sub.1 is F or E,
[0014] X.sub.2 is Y or D,
[0015] X.sub.3 is T or C,
[0016] X.sub.4 is M or D or E or Y,
[0017] X.sub.5 is G or S,
[0018] X.sub.6 is I or E,
[0019] X.sub.7 is N or C or L or V,
[0020] X.sub.8 is T or D or E,
[0021] X.sub.9 is A or M or T,
[0022] X.sub.10 is R or H,
[0023] X.sub.11 is G or E,
[0024] X.sub.12 is L or F,
[0025] X.sub.13 is S or G,
[0026] X.sub.14 is G or D,
[0027] X.sub.15 is N or E,
[0028] X.sub.16 is D or L,
[0029] X.sub.17 is Y or C or T,
[0030] X.sub.18 is W or L,
[0031] X.sub.29 is Y or E or R or T,
[0032] X.sub.30 is K or N,
[0033] X.sub.31 is R or G or H or W or Y,
[0034] X.sub.32 is F or C or N or Q,
[0035] X.sub.33 is E or S,
[0036] X.sub.34 is G or E or F or H or M or Q or S,
[0037] X.sub.35 is W or A or I or P or Q or T or V,
[0038] X.sub.36 is Y or G or N or Q,
[0039] X.sub.37 is G or S or T, and
[0040] X.sub.38 Y or I.
[0041] In another aspect, this isolated heavy chain variable region
polypeptide is combined with an isolated light chain variable
region that includes three complementarity determining regions L1,
L2, and L3 sequences, wherein: [0042] the L1 sequence is
SATSSX.sub.19X.sub.29X.sub.21MX.sub.22 (SEQ ID NO:7) or
RASESVDRYGNSX.sub.39IH (SEQ ID NO:10); [0043] the L2 sequence is
X.sub.23TSNLAS (SEQ ID NO:8) or X.sub.40TYX.sub.41LES (SEQ ID
NO:11); and [0044] the L3 sequence is
QX.sub.24X.sub.25SX.sub.26YPFX.sub.27X.sub.28 (SEQ ID NO:9) or
QQX.sub.42NX.sub.43DPX.sub.44TX.sub.45 (SEQ ID NO:12);
[0045] wherein
[0046] X.sub.19 is V or E,
[0047] X.sub.20 is S or D,
[0048] X.sub.21 is Y or C or D,
[0049] X.sub.22 is H or G or L,
[0050] X.sub.23 is G or C or H or P,
[0051] X.sub.24 is Q or E,
[0052] X.sub.25 is R or H,
[0053] X.sub.26 is S or D or G or I or Q or V,
[0054] X.sub.27 is T or D,
[0055] X.sub.28 is F or D or E,
[0056] X.sub.39 is F or S or T,
[0057] X.sub.40 is R or C or D or E or W,
[0058] X.sub.41 is N or D,
[0059] X.sub.42 is T or I or P,
[0060] X.sub.43 is E or V,
[0061] X.sub.44 is W or T, and
[0062] X.sub.45 is F or T.
[0063] In yet another aspect, the present invention provides an
anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment that includes the isolated
heavy chain variable region polypeptide of the invention.
[0064] In yet another aspect, the present invention provides an
immunoconjugate that includes the antibody or antibody fragment of
the invention, optionally conjugated to an agent selected from a
chemotherapeutic agent, a radioactive atom, a cytostatic agent and
a cytotoxic agent.
[0065] In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a
pharmaceutical composition that includes the polypeptide, the
antibody or antibody fragment, or the immunoconjugate of the
invention, together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
[0066] In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a kit
for diagnosis or treatment including the polypeptide, the antibody
or antibody fragment, or the immunoconjugate of the present
invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0067] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of human Ror2
protein. The protein contains an Ig-like domain (Ig), a frizzled or
cysteine-rich (CRD) domain, and a kringle (Kr) domain in the
extracellular domain. The extracellular and intracellular domains
are separated by a transmembrane (TM) domain. The intracellular
domain contains a tyrosine kinase (TK) domain and a proline-rich
domain (PR) flanked by serine/threonine (ST) rich domains.
[0068] FIGS. 2A-2B show sequence alignments of exemplary heavy
chain variable regions of anti-Ror2 antibodies of the present
invention.
[0069] FIGS. 3A-3B show sequence alignments of exemplary light
chain variable regions of anti-Ror2 antibodies of the present
invention.
[0070] FIG. 4 shows a size exclusion chromatograph indicating that
the anti-Ror2 antibodies of the invention do not aggregate, as
described in Example 1.
[0071] FIG. 5 shows pH-dependent binding profiles of anti-Ror2
antibodies of the present invention for binding to Ror2, as
described in Example 1.
[0072] FIGS. 6A-6B show on and off rates of conditionally active
antibodies of the invention as measured by surface plasmon
resonance (SPR) assay, as described in Example 1.
[0073] FIGS. 7A-7B show effects on tumor volume of treatment of
xenografted mice with a paclitaxel-conjugated anti-Ror2 antibody of
the present invention, as described in Example 2.
[0074] FIG. 8 shows the pH dependent binding affinity of an
exemplary conditionally active antibody BAP048 measured by pH
titration.
[0075] FIG. 9 shows the binding affinity of the conditionally
active antibody BAP048 to Ror2 proteins of human, cynomolgus, and
mouse.
[0076] FIG. 10 shows cell killing of the conditionally active
antibody BAP048 conjugated to Monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) on
HEK293 cells expressing human Ror2.
[0077] FIGS. 11A-11C show cell killing of the conditionally active
antibody BAP048 conjugated to MMAE on LCLC103H cells.
[0078] FIGS. 12A-12C show cell killing of the conditionally active
antibody BAP048 conjugated to MMAE on HT1080 cells.
[0079] FIG. 13 shows treatment of mouse tumors induced by LCLC103H
using the conditionally active antibody BAP048 conjugated to
MMAE.
[0080] FIG. 14 shows treatment of mouse tumors induced by LCLC103H
using the conditionally active antibody BAP048 conjugated to MMAE
through different linkers.
[0081] FIGS. 15A-15B show treatment of mouse tumors induced by
HT1080 or MDA-MB-436 respectively, using the conditionally active
antibody BAP048 conjugated to MMAE.
DEFINITIONS
[0082] In order to facilitate understanding of the examples
provided herein, certain frequently occurring terms are defined
herein.
[0083] In connection with a measured quantity, the term "about" as
used herein refers to the normal variation in that measured
quantity that would be expected by a skilled person making the
measurement and exercising a level of care commensurate with the
objective of the measurement and the precision of the measuring
equipment used. Unless otherwise indicated, "about" refers to a
variation of +/-10% of the value provided.
[0084] The term "affinity" as used herein refers to the strength of
the sum total of noncovalent interactions between a single binding
site of a molecule (e.g., an antibody) and its binding partner
(e.g., an antigen). Unless indicated otherwise, as used herein,
"binding affinity" refers to intrinsic binding affinity which
reflects a 1:1 interaction between members of a binding pair (e.g.,
antibody and antigen). The affinity of a molecule X for its partner
Y can generally be represented by the dissociation constant (Kd).
Affinity can be measured by common methods known in the art,
including those described herein. Specific illustrative and
exemplary embodiments for measuring binding affinity are described
in the following.
[0085] The term "affinity matured" antibody as used herein refers
to an antibody with one or more alterations in one or more
hypervariable regions (HVRs), compared to a parent antibody which
does not possess such alterations, such alterations resulting in an
improvement in the affinity of the antibody for antigen.
[0086] The term "amino acid" as used herein refers to any organic
compound that contains an amino group (--NH2) and a carboxyl group
(--COOH); preferably either as free groups or alternatively after
condensation as part of peptide bonds. The "twenty naturally
encoded polypeptide-forming alpha-amino acids" are understood in
the art and refer to: alanine (ala or A), arginine (arg or R),
asparagine (asn or N), aspartic acid (asp or D), cysteine (cys or
C), gluatamic acid (glu or E), glutamine (gin or Q), glycine (gly
or G), histidine (his or H), isoleucine (ile or I), leucine (leu or
L), lysine (lys or K), methionine (met or M), phenylalanine (phe or
F), proline (pro or P), serine (ser or S), threonine (thr or T),
tryptophan (tip or W), tyrosine (tyr or Y), and valine (val or
V).
[0087] The term "antibody" as used herein refers to intact
immunoglobulin molecules, as well as fragments of immunoglobulin
molecules, such as Fab, Fab', (Fab')2, Fv, and SCA fragments, that
are capable of binding to an epitope of an antigen. These antibody
fragments, which retain some ability to selectively bind to an
antigen (e.g., a polypeptide antigen) of the antibody from which
they are derived, can be made using well known methods in the art
(see, e.g., Harlow and Lane, supra), and are described further, as
follows. Antibodies can be used to isolate preparative quantities
of the antigen by immunoaffinity chromatography. Various other uses
of such antibodies are to diagnose and/or stage disease (e.g.,
neoplasia) and for therapeutic application to treat disease, such
as for example: neoplasia, autoimmune disease, AIDS, cardiovascular
disease, infections, and the like. Chimeric, human-like, humanized
or fully human antibodies are particularly useful for
administration to human patients.
[0088] An Fab fragment consists of a monovalent antigen-binding
fragment of an antibody molecule, and can be produced by digestion
of a whole antibody molecule with the enzyme papain, to yield a
fragment consisting of an intact light chain and a portion of a
heavy chain.
[0089] An Fab' fragment of an antibody molecule can be obtained by
treating a whole antibody molecule with pepsin, followed by
reduction, to yield a molecule consisting of an intact light chain
and a portion of a heavy chain. Two Fab' fragments are obtained per
antibody molecule treated in this manner.
[0090] An (Fab')2 fragment of an antibody can be obtained by
treating a whole antibody molecule with the enzyme pepsin, without
subsequent reduction. A (Fab')2 fragment is a dimer of two Fab'
fragments, held together by two disulfide bonds.
[0091] An Fv fragment is defined as a genetically engineered
fragment containing the variable region of a light chain and the
variable region of a heavy chain expressed as two chains.
[0092] The term "antibody fragment" as used herein refers to a
molecule other than an intact antibody that comprises a portion of
an intact antibody that binds the antigen to which the intact
antibody binds. Examples of antibody fragments include but are not
limited to Fv, Fab, Fab', Fab'-SH, F(ab').sub.2; diabodies; linear
antibodies; single-chain antibody molecules (e.g. scFv); and
multispecific antibodies formed from antibody fragments.
[0093] The terms "anti-Ror2 antibody," "Ror2 antibody" and "an
antibody that binds to Ror2" as used herein refer to an antibody
that is capable of binding Ror2 with sufficient affinity such that
the antibody is useful as a diagnostic and/or therapeutic agent in
targeting ROr2. In one embodiment, the extent of binding of an
anti-Ror2 antibody to an unrelated, non-Ror2 protein is less than
about 10% of the binding of the antibody to Ror2 as measured, e.g.,
by a radioimmunoassay (RIA). In certain embodiments, an antibody
that binds to Ror2 has a dissociation constant (Kd) of .ltoreq.1
.mu.M, .ltoreq.100 nM, .ltoreq.10 nM, .ltoreq.1 nM, .ltoreq.0.1 nM,
.ltoreq.0.01 nM, or .ltoreq.0.001 nM (e.g. 10.sup.-8M or less, e.g.
from 10.sup.-8M to 10.sup.-13M, e.g., from 10.sup.-9M to 10.sup.-13
M). In certain embodiments, an anti-Ror2 antibody binds to an
epitope of Ror2 that is conserved among Ror2 from different
species.
[0094] The term "binding" as used herein refers to interaction of
the variable region or an Fv of an antibody with an antigen with
the interaction depending upon the presence of a particular
structure (e.g., an antigenic determinant or epitope) on the
antigen. For example, an antibody variable region or Fv recognizes
and binds to a specific protein structure rather than to proteins
generally. As used herein, the term "specifically binding" or
"binding specifically" means that an antibody variable region or Fv
binds to or associates with more frequently, more rapidly, with
greater duration and/or with greater affinity with a particular
antigen than with other proteins. For example, an antibody variable
region or Fv specifically binds to its antigen with greater
affinity, avidity, more readily, and/or with greater duration than
it binds to other antigens. For another example, an antibody
variable region or Fv binds to a cell surface protein (antigen)
with materially greater affinity than it does to related proteins
or other cell surface proteins or to antigens commonly recognized
by polyreactive natural antibodies (i.e., by naturally occurring
antibodies known to bind a variety of antigens naturally found in
humans). However, "specifically binding" does not necessarily
require exclusive binding or non-detectable binding of another
antigen, this is meant by the term "selective binding". In one
example, "specific binding" of an antibody variable region or Fv
(or other binding region) binds to an antigen, means that the an
antibody variable region or Fv binds to the antigen with an
equilibrium constant (KD) of 100 nM or less, such as 50 nM or less,
for example 20 nM or less, such as, 15 nM or less, or 10 nM or
less, or 5 nM or less, 2 nM or less, or 1 nM or less.
[0095] The terms "cancer" and "cancerous" as used herein refer to
or describe the physiological condition in mammals that is
typically characterized by unregulated cell growth/proliferation.
Examples of cancer include, but are not limited to, carcinoma,
lymphoma (e.g., Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), blastoma,
sarcoma, and leukemia. More particular examples of such cancers
include squamous cell cancer, small-cell lung cancer, non-small
cell lung cancer, adenocarcinoma of the lung, squamous carcinoma of
the lung, cancer of the peritoneum, hepatocellular cancer,
gastrointestinal cancer, pancreatic cancer, glioma, cervical
cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer, bladder cancer, hepatoma,
breast cancer, colon cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial or
uterine carcinoma, salivary gland carcinoma, kidney cancer, liver
cancer, prostate cancer, vulval cancer, thyroid cancer, hepatic
carcinoma, leukemia and other lymphoproliferative disorders, and
various types of head and neck cancer.
[0096] The terms "cell proliferative disorder" and "proliferative
disorder" as used herein refer to disorders that are associated
with some degree of abnormal cell proliferation. In one embodiment,
the cell proliferative disorder is cancer.
[0097] The term "chemotherapeutic agent" as used herein refers to a
chemical compound useful in the treatment of cancer. Examples of
chemotherapeutic agents include alkylating agents such as thiotepa
and cyclosphosphamide (CYTOXAN.RTM.); alkyl sulfonates such as
busulfan, improsulfan and piposulfan; aziridines such as benzodopa,
carboquone, meturedopa, and uredopa; ethylenimines and
methylamelamines including altretamine, triethylenemelamine,
triethylenephosphoramide, triethylenethiophosphoramide and
trimethylomelamine; acetogenins (especially bullatacin and
bullatacinone); delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (dronabinol,
MARINOL.RTM.); beta-lapachone; lapachol; colchicines; betulinic
acid; a camptothecin (including the synthetic analogue topotecan
(HYCAMTIN.RTM.), CPT-11 (irinotecan, CAMPTOSAR.RTM.),
acetylcamptothecin, scopolectin, and 9-aminocamptothecin);
bryostatin; callystatin; CC-1065 (including its adozelesin,
carzelesin and bizelesin synthetic analogues); podophyllotoxin;
podophyllinic acid; teniposide; cryptophycins (particularly
cryptophycin 1 and cryptophycin 8); dolastatin; duocarmycin
(including the synthetic analogues, KW-2189 and CB1-TM1);
eleutherobin; pancratistatin; a sarcodictyin; spongistatin;
nitrogen mustards such as chlorambucil, chlornaphazine,
chlorophosphamide, estramustine, ifosfamide, mechlorethamine,
mechlorethamine oxide hydrochloride, melphalan, novembichin,
phenesterine, prednimustine, trofosfamide, uracil mustard;
nitrosoureas such as carmustine, chlorozotocin, fotemustine,
lomustine, nimustine, and ranimnustine; antibiotics such as the
enediyne antibiotics (e.g., calicheamicin, especially calicheamicin
gamma1I and calicheamicin omegall (see, e.g., Nicolaou et al.,
Angew. Chem. Intl. Ed. Engl., 33: 183-186 (1994)); CDP323, an oral
alpha-4 integrin inhibitor; dynemicin, including dynemicin A; an
esperamicin; as well as neocarzinostatin chromophore and related
chromoprotein enediyne antibiotic chromophores), aclacinomysins,
actinomycin, authramycin, azaserine, bleomycins, cactinomycin,
carabicin, caminomycin, carzinophilin, chromomycins, dactinomycin,
daunorubicin, detorubicin, 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine, doxorubicin
(including ADRIAMYCIN.RTM., morpholino-doxorubicin,
cyanomorpholino-doxorubicin, 2-pyrrolino-doxorubicin, doxorubicin
HCl liposome injection (DOXIL.RTM.), liposomal doxorubicin TLC D-99
(MYOCET.RTM.), peglylated liposomal doxorubicin (CAELYX.RTM.), and
deoxydoxorubicin), epirubicin, esorubicin, idarubicin,
marcellomycin, mitomycins such as mitomycin C, mycophenolic acid,
nogalamycin, olivomycins, peplomycin, porfiromycin, puromycin,
quelamycin, rodorubicin, streptonigrin, streptozocin, tubercidin,
ubenimex, zinostatin, zorubicin; anti-metabolites such as
methotrexate, gemcitabine (GEMZAR.RTM.), tegafur (UFTORAL.RTM.),
capecitabine (XELODA.RTM.), an epothilone, and 5-fluorouracil
(5-FU); folic acid analogues such as denopterin, methotrexate,
pteropterin, trimetrexate; purine analogs such as fludarabine,
6-mercaptopurine, thiamiprine, thioguanine; pyrimidine analogs such
as ancitabine, azacitidine, 6-azauridine, carmofur, cytarabine,
dideoxyuridine, doxifluridine, enocitabine, floxuridine; androgens
such as calusterone, dromostanolone propionate, epitiostanol,
mepitiostane, testolactone; anti-adrenals such as
aminoglutethimide, mitotane, trilostane; folic acid replenisher
such as frolinic acid; aceglatone; aldophosphamide glycoside;
aminolevulinic acid; eniluracil; amsacrine; bestrabucil;
bisantrene; edatraxate; defofamine; demecolcine; diaziquone;
elformithine; elliptinium acetate; an epothilone; etoglucid;
gallium nitrate; hydroxyurea; lentinan; lonidainine; maytansinoids
such as maytansine and ansamitocins; mitoguazone; mitoxantrone;
mopidanmol; nitraerine; pentostatin; phenamet; pirarubicin;
losoxantrone; 2-ethylhydrazide; procarbazine; PSK.RTM.
polysaccharide complex (JHS Natural Products, Eugene, Oreg.);
razoxane; rhizoxin; sizofiran; spirogermanium; tenuazonic acid;
triaziquone; 2,2',2'-trichlorotriethylamine; trichothecenes
(especially T-2 toxin, verracurin A, roridin A and anguidine);
urethan; vindesine (ELDISINE.RTM., FILDESIN.RTM.); dacarbazine;
mannomustine; mitobronitol; mitolactol; pipobroman; gacytosine;
arabinoside ("Ara-C"); thiotepa; taxoid, e.g., paclitaxel
(TAXOL.RTM.), albumin-engineered nanoparticle formulation of
paclitaxel (ABRAXANETM), and docetaxel (TAXOTERE.RTM.);
chloranbucil; 6-thioguanine; mercaptopurine; methotrexate; platinum
agents such as cisplatin, oxaliplatin (e.g., ELOXATIN.RTM.), and
carboplatin; vincas, which prevent tubulin polymerization from
forming microtubules, including vinblastine (VELBAN.RTM.),
vincristine (ONCOVIN.RTM.), vindesine (ELDISINE.RTM.,
FILDESIN.RTM.), and vinorelbine (NAVELBINE.RTM.); etoposide
(VP-16); ifosfamide; mitoxantrone; leucovorin; novantrone;
edatrexate; daunomycin; aminopterin; ibandronate; topoisomerase
inhibitor RFS 2000; difluoromethylornithine (DMF.RTM.); retinoids
such as retinoic acid, including bexarotene (TARGRETIN.RTM.);
bisphosphonates such as clodronate (for example, BONEFOS.RTM. or
OSTAC.RTM.), etidronate (DIDROCAL.RTM.), NE-58095, zoledronic
acid/zoledronate (ZOMETA.RTM.), alendronate (FOSAMAX.RTM.),
pamidronate (AREDIA.RTM.), tiludronate (SKELID.RTM.), or
risedronate (ACTONEL.RTM.); troxacitabine (a 1,3-dioxolane
nucleoside cytosine analog); antisense oligonucleotides,
particularly those that inhibit expression of genes in signaling
pathways implicated in aberrant cell proliferation, such as, for
example, PKC-alpha, Raf, H-Ras, and epidermal growth factor
receptor (EGF-R); vaccines such as THERATOPE.RTM. vaccine and gene
therapy vaccines, for example, ALLOVECTIN.RTM. vaccine,
LEUVECTIN.RTM. vaccine, and VAXID.RTM. vaccine; topoisomerase 1
inhibitor (e.g., LURTOTECAN.RTM.); rmRH (e.g., ABARELIX.RTM.);
BAY439006 (sorafenib; Bayer); SU-11248 (sunitinib, SUTENT.RTM.,
Pfizer); perifosine, COX-2 inhibitor (e.g. celecoxib or
etoricoxib), proteosome inhibitor (e.g. PS341); bortezomib
(VELCADE.RTM.); CCI-779; tipifarnib (R11577); orafenib, ABT510;
Bcl-2 inhibitor such as oblimersen sodium (GENASENSE.RTM.);
pixantrone; EGFR inhibitors (see definition below); tyrosine kinase
inhibitors (see definition below); serine-threonine kinase
inhibitors such as rapamycin (sirolimus, RAPAMUNE.RTM.);
farnesyltransferase inhibitors such as lonafarnib (SCH 6636,
SARASAR.TM.); and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, acids or
derivatives of any of the above; as well as combinations of two or
more of the above such as CHOP, an abbreviation for a combined
therapy of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and
prednisolone; and FOLFOX, an abbreviation for a treatment regimen
with oxaliplatin (ELOXATIN.TM.) combined with 5-FU and
leucovorin.
[0098] Chemotherapeutic agents as defined herein include
"anti-hormonal agents" or "endocrine therapeutics," which act to
regulate, reduce, block, or inhibit the effects of hormones that
can promote the growth of cancer. They may be hormones themselves,
including, but not limited to: anti-estrogens with mixed
agonist/antagonist profile, including, tamoxifen (NOLVADEX.RTM.),
4-hydroxytamoxifen, toremifene (FARESTON.RTM.), idoxifene,
droloxifene, raloxifene (EVISTA.RTM.), trioxifene, keoxifene, and
selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) such as SERM3; pure
anti-estrogens without agonist properties, such as fulvestrant
(FASLODEX.RTM.), and EM800 (such agents may block estrogen receptor
(ER) dimerization, inhibit DNA binding, increase ER turnover,
and/or suppress ER levels); aromatase inhibitors, including
steroidal aromatase inhibitors such as formestane and exemestane
(AROMASIN.RTM.), and nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitors such as
anastrazole (ARIMIDEX.RTM.), letrozole (FEMARA.RTM.) and
aminoglutethimide, and other aromatase inhibitors include vorozole
(RIVISOR.RTM.), megestrol acetate (MEGASE.RTM.), fadrozole, and
4(5)-imidazoles; lutenizing hormone-releaseing hormone agonists,
including leuprolide (LUPRON.RTM. and ELIGARD.RTM.), goserelin,
buserelin, and tripterelin; sex steroids, including progestines
such as megestrol acetate and medroxyprogesterone acetate,
estrogens such as diethylstilbestrol and premarin, and
androgens/retinoids such as fluoxymesterone, all transretionic acid
and fenretinide; onapristone; anti-progesterones; estrogen receptor
down-regulators (ERDs); anti-androgens such as flutamide,
nilutamide and bicalutamide; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts,
acids or derivatives of any of the above; as well as combinations
of two or more of the above.
[0099] The term "chimeric" antibody as used herein refers to an
antibody in which a portion of the heavy and/or light chain is
derived from a particular source or species, while the remainder of
the heavy and/or light chain is derived from a different source or
species.
[0100] The term "class" of an antibody as used herein refers to the
type of constant domain or constant region possessed by its heavy
chain. There are five major classes of antibodies: IgA, IgD, IgE,
IgG, and IgM, and several of these may be further divided into
subclasses (isotypes), e.g., IgG.sub.1, IgG.sub.2, IgG.sub.3,
IgG.sub.4, IgA.sub.1, and IgA.sub.2. The heavy chain constant
domains that correspond to the different classes of immunoglobulins
are called .alpha., .delta., .epsilon., .gamma., and .mu.,
respectively.
[0101] The term "conditionally active antibody" as used herein
refers to an antibody which is more active under a condition in the
tumor microenvironment compared to under a condition in the
non-tumor microenvironment. The conditions in the tumor
microenvironment include lower pH, higher concentrations of lactate
and pyruvate, hypoxia, lower concentration of glucose, and slightly
higher temperature in comparison with non-tumor microenvironment.
For example, a conditionally active antibody is virtually inactive
at normal body temperature, but is active at a higher temperature
in a tumor microenvironment. In yet another aspect, the
conditionally active antibody is less active in normal oxygenated
blood, but more active under a less oxygenated environment exists
in tumor. In yet another aspect, the conditionally active antibody
is less active in normal physiological pH 7.2-7.8, but more active
under an acidic pH 5.8-7.0, or 6.0-6.8 that exists in a tumor
microenvironment. There are other conditions in the tumor
microenvironment know to a person skilled in the field may also be
used as the condition in the present invention under which the
anti-Ror2 antibodies to have different binding affinity to
Ror2.
[0102] The term "constitutive" as used herein, as for example
applied to Ror2 activity, refers to continuous signaling activity
of the receptor kinase that is not dependent on the presence of a
ligand or other activating molecules. Depending on the nature of
the receptor kinase, all of the activity may be constitutive or the
activity of the receptor may be further activated by the binding of
other molecules (e.g. ligands). Cellular events that lead to
activation of receptor kinase are well known among those of
ordinary skill in the art. For example, activation may include
oligomerization, e.g., dimerization, trimerization, etc., into
higher order receptor complexes. Complexes may comprise a single
species of protein, i.e., a homomeric complex. Alternatively,
complexes may comprise at least two different protein species,
i.e., a heteromeric complex. Complex formation may be caused by,
for example, overexpression of normal or mutant forms of receptor
on the surface of a cell. Complex formation may also be caused by a
specific mutation or mutations in a receptor.
[0103] The term "cytostatic agent" as used herein refers to a
compound or composition which arrests growth of a cell either in
vitro or in vivo. Thus, a cytostatic agent may be one which
significantly reduces the percentage of cells in S phase. Further
examples of cytostatic agents include agents that block cell cycle
progression by inducing G0/G1 arrest or M-phase arrest. The
humanized anti-Her2 antibody trastuzumab (HERCEPTIN.RTM.) is an
example of a cytostatic agent that induces G0/G1 arrest. Classical
M-phase blockers include the vincas (vincristine and vinblastine),
taxanes, and topoisomerase II inhibitors such as doxorubicin,
epirubicin, daunorubicin, etoposide, and bleomycin. Certain agents
that arrest G1 also spill over into S-phase arrest, for example,
DNA alkylating agents such as tamoxifen, prednisone, dacarbazine,
mechlorethamine, cisplatin, methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, and
ara-C. Further information can be found in Mendelsohn and Israel,
eds., The Molecular Basis of Cancer, Chapter 1, entitled "Cell
cycle regulation, oncogenes, and antineoplastic drugs" by Murakami
et al. (W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 1995), e.g., p. 13. The
taxanes (paclitaxel and docetaxel) are anticancer drugs both
derived from the yew tree. Docetaxel (TAXOTERE.RTM., Rhone-Poulenc
Rorer), derived from the European yew, is a semisynthetic analogue
of paclitaxel (TAXOL.RTM., Bristol-Myers Squibb). Paclitaxel and
docetaxel promote the assembly of microtubules from tubulin dimers
and stabilize microtubules by preventing depolymerization, which
results in the inhibition of mitosis in cells.
[0104] The term "cytotoxic agent" as used herein refers to a
substance that inhibits or prevents a cellular function and/or
causes cell death or destruction. Cytotoxic agents include, but are
not limited to radioactive isotopes (e.g., At.sup.211, I.sup.131,
I.sup.125, Y.sup.90, Re.sup.186, Re.sup.188, Sm.sup.153,
Bi.sup.212, P.sup.32, Pb.sup.212 and radioactive isotopes of Lu);
chemotherapeutic agents or drugs (e.g., methotrexate, adriamicin,
vinca alkaloids (vincristine, vinblastine, etoposide), doxorubicin,
melphalan, mitomycin C, chlorambucil, daunorubicin or other
intercalating agents); growth inhibitory agents; enzymes and
fragments thereof such as nucleolytic enzymes; antibiotics; toxins
such as small molecule toxins or enzymatically active toxins of
bacterial, fungal, plant or animal origin, including fragments
and/or variants thereof; and the various antitumor or anticancer
agents disclosed below.
[0105] The term "diabodies" as used herein refers to small antibody
fragments with two antigen-binding sites, which fragments comprise
a heavy-chain variable domain (V.sub.H) connected to a light-chain
variable domain (V.sub.L) in the same polypeptide chain
(V.sub.H-V.sub.L). By using a linker that is too short to allow
pairing between the two domains on the same chain, the domains are
forced to pair with the complementary domains of another chain and
create two antigen-binding sites.
[0106] The term "detectably label" as used herein refers to any
substance whose detection or measurement, either directly or
indirectly, by physical or chemical means, is indicative of the
presence of the CTCs in a sample. Representative examples of useful
detectable labels, include, but are not limited to the following:
molecules or ions directly or indirectly detectable based on light
absorbance, fluorescence, reflectance, light scatter,
phosphorescence, or luminescence properties; molecules or ions
detectable by their radioactive properties; molecules or ions
detectable by their nuclear magnetic resonance or paramagnetic
properties. Included among the group of molecules indirectly
detectable based on light absorbance or fluorescence, for example,
are various enzymes which cause appropriate substrates to convert,
e.g., from non-light absorbing to light absorbing molecules, or
from non-fluorescent to fluorescent molecules.
[0107] The term "diagnostics" as used herein refers to
determination of a subject's susceptibility to a disease or
disorder, determination as to whether a subject is presently
affected by a disease or disorder, prognosis of a subject affected
by a disease or disorder (e. g., identification of pre-metastatic
or metastatic cancerous states, stages of cancer, or responsiveness
of cancer to therapy), and therametrics (e. g., monitoring a
subject's condition to provide information as to the effect or
efficacy of therapy). In some embodiments, the diagnostic method of
this invention is particularly useful in detecting early stage
cancers.
[0108] The term "diagnostic agent" as used herein refers to a
molecule which can be directly or indirectly detected and is used
for diagnostic purposes. The diagnostic agent may be administered
to a subject or a sample. The diagnostic agent can be provided per
se or may be conjugated to a vehicle such as a conditionally active
antibody.
[0109] The term "effector functions" as used herein refer to those
biological activities attributable to the Fc region of an antibody,
which vary with the antibody isotype. Examples of antibody effector
functions include: C1q binding and complement dependent
cytotoxicity (CDC); Fc receptor binding; antibody-dependent
cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC); phagocytosis; down regulation of
cell surface receptors (e.g. B cell receptor); and B cell
activation.
[0110] The term "effective amount" of an agent as used herein,
e.g., a pharmaceutical formulation, refers to an amount effective,
at dosages and for periods of time necessary, to achieve the
desired therapeutic or prophylactic result.
[0111] The term "Fc region" as used herein is used to define a
C-terminal region of an immunoglobulin heavy chain that contains at
least a portion of the constant region. The term includes native
sequence Fc regions and variant Fc regions. In one embodiment, a
human IgG heavy chain Fc region extends from Cys226, or from
Pro230, to the carboxyl-terminus of the heavy chain. However, the
C-terminal lysine (Lys447) of the Fc region may or may not be
present. Unless otherwise specified herein, numbering of amino acid
residues in the Fc region or constant region is according to the EU
numbering system, also called the EU index, as described in Kabat
et al., Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest, 5th Ed.
Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda,
Md., 1991.
[0112] The term "framework" or "FR" as used herein refers to
variable domain residues other than hypervariable region (HVR or
H1-3 in the heavy chain and L1-3 in the light chain) residues. The
FR of a variable domain generally consists of four FR domains: FR1,
FR2, FR3, and FR4. Accordingly, the HVR and FR sequences generally
appear in the following sequence in V.sub.H (or V.sub.L):
FR1-H1(L1)-FR2-H2(L2)-FR3-H3(L3)-FR4.
[0113] The term "full length antibody," "intact antibody," or
"whole antibody" refers to an antibody which comprises an
antigen-binding variable region (V.sub.H or V.sub.L) as well as a
light chain constant domain (CL) and heavy chain constant domains,
CH1, CH2 and CH3. The constant domains may be native sequence
constant domains (e.g. human native sequence constant domains) or
amino acid sequence variants thereof. Depending on the amino acid
sequence of the constant domain of their heavy chains, full length
antibodies can be assigned to different "classes". There are five
major classes of full length antibodies: IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, and
IgM, and several of these may be further divided into "subclasses"
(isotypes), e.g., IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, IgA, and IgA2. The
heavy-chain constant domains that correspond to the different
classes of antibodies are called alpha, delta, epsilon, gamma, and
mu, respectively. The subunit structures and three-dimensional
configurations of different classes of immunoglobulins are well
known.
[0114] The terms "host cell," "host cell line," and "host cell
culture" as used herein are used interchangeably and refer to cells
into which exogenous nucleic acid has been introduced, including
the progeny of such cells. Host cells include "transformants" and
"transformed cells," which include the primary transformed cell and
progeny derived therefrom without regard to the number of passages.
Progeny may not be completely identical in nucleic acid content to
a parent cell, but may contain mutations. Mutant progeny that have
the same function or biological activity as screened or selected
for in the originally transformed cell are included herein.
[0115] The term "human antibody" as used herein is one which
possesses an amino acid sequence which corresponds to that of an
antibody produced by a human or a human cell or derived from a
non-human source that utilizes human antibody repertoires or other
human antibody-encoding sequences. This definition of a human
antibody specifically excludes a humanized antibody comprising
non-human antigen-binding residues.
[0116] The term "human consensus framework" as used herein is a
framework which represents the most commonly occurring amino acid
residues in a selection of human immunoglobulin V.sub.L or V.sub.H
framework sequences. Generally, the selection of human
immunoglobulin V.sub.L or V.sub.H sequences is from a subgroup of
variable domain sequences. Generally, the subgroup of sequences is
a subgroup as in Kabat et al., Sequences of Proteins of
Immunological Interest, Fifth Edition, NIH Publication 91-3242,
Bethesda Md. (1991), vols. 1-3. In one embodiment, for the V.sub.L,
the subgroup is subgroup kappa I as in Kabat et al., supra. In one
embodiment, for the V.sub.H, the subgroup is subgroup III as in
Kabat et al., supra.
[0117] The term "humanized" antibody as used herein refers to a
chimeric antibody comprising amino acid residues from non-human
HVRs and amino acid residues from human FRs. In certain
embodiments, a humanized antibody will comprise substantially all
of at least one, and typically two, variable domains, in which all
or substantially all of the HVRs (e.g., CDRs) correspond to those
of a non-human antibody, and all or substantially all of the FRs
correspond to those of a human antibody. A humanized antibody
optionally may comprise at least a portion of an antibody constant
region derived from a human antibody. A "humanized form" of an
antibody, e.g., a non-human antibody, refers to an antibody that
has undergone humanization.
[0118] The term "hypervariable region" or "HVR" as used herein
refers to each of the regions of an antibody variable domain which
are hypervariable in sequence and/or form structurally defined
loops ("hypervariable loops"). Generally, native four-chain
antibodies comprise six HVRs; three in the V.sub.H (H1, H2, H3),
and three in the V.sub.L (L1, L2, L3). HVRs generally comprise
amino acid residues from the hypervariable loops and/or from the
"complementarity determining regions" (CDRs), the latter being of
highest sequence variability and/or involved in antigen
recognition. Exemplary hypervariable loops occur at amino acid
residues 26-32 (L1), 50-52 (L2), 91-96 (L3), 26-32 (H1), 53-55
(H2), and 96-101 (H3). (Chothia and Lesk, J. Mol. Biol., vol. 196,
pp. 901-917 1987) Exemplary CDRs (CDR-L1, CDR-L2, CDR-L3, CDR-H1,
CDR-H2, and CDR-H3) occur at amino acid residues 24-34 of L1, 50-56
of L2, 89-97 of L3, 31-35B of H1, 50-65 of H2, and 95-102 of H3
(Kabat et al., Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest, 5th
Ed. Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda,
Md. 1991). With the exception of CDR1 in V.sub.H, CDRs generally
comprise the amino acid residues that form the hypervariable loops.
CDRs also comprise "specificity determining residues," or "SDRs,"
which are residues that contact antigen. SDRs are contained within
regions of the CDRs called abbreviated-CDRs, or a-CDRs. Exemplary
a-CDRs (a-CDR-L1, a-CDR-L2, a-CDR-L3, a-CDR-H1, a-CDR-H2, and
a-CDR-H3) occur at amino acid residues 31-34 of L1, 50-55 of L2,
89-96 of L3, 31-35B of H1, 50-58 of H2, and 95-102 of H3. (See
Almagro and Fransson, Front. Biosci., vol. 13, pp. 1619-1633,
2008). Unless otherwise indicated, HVR residues and other residues
in the variable domain (e.g., FR residues) are numbered herein
according to Kabat et al., supra.
[0119] The term "immunoconjugate" as used herein is an antibody
conjugated to one or more heterologous molecule(s), including but
not limited to a cytotoxic agent.
[0120] The term "individual" or "subject" as used herein refers to
a mammal. Mammals include, but are not limited to, domesticated
animals (e.g., cows, sheep, cats, dogs, and horses), primates
(e.g., humans and non-human primates such as monkeys), rabbits, and
rodents (e.g., mice and rats). In certain embodiments, the
individual or subject is a human.
[0121] The term "inhibiting cell growth or proliferation" as used
herein means decreasing a cell's growth or proliferation by at
least 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 95%, or 100%,
and includes inducing cell death.
[0122] The term "isolated" antibody as used herein is one which has
been separated from a component of its natural environment. In some
embodiments, an antibody is purified to greater than 95% or 99%
purity as determined by, for example, electrophoretic (e.g.,
SDS-PAGE, isoelectric focusing (IEF), capillary electrophoresis) or
chromatographic (e.g., ion exchange or reverse phase High
Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC)). For review of methods
for assessment of antibody purity, see, e.g., Flatman et al., J.
Chromatogr. B, vol. 848, pp. 79-87, 2007.
[0123] The term "isolated" nucleic acid as used herein refers to a
nucleic acid molecule that has been separated from a component of
its natural environment. An isolated nucleic acid includes a
nucleic acid molecule contained in cells that ordinarily contain
the nucleic acid molecule, but the nucleic acid molecule is present
extrachromosomally or at a chromosomal location that is different
from its natural chromosomal location.
[0124] The term "isolated nucleic acid encoding an anti-Ror2
antibody" as used herein refers to one or more nucleic acid
molecules encoding antibody heavy and light chains (or fragments
thereof), including such nucleic acid molecule(s) in a single
vector or separate vectors, and such nucleic acid molecule(s)
present at one or more locations in a host cell.
[0125] The term "ligand-independent" as used herein, as for example
applied to receptor signaling activity, refers to signaling
activity that is not dependent on the presence of a ligand. A
receptor having ligand-independent kinase activity will not
necessarily preclude the binding of ligand to that receptor to
produce additional activation of the kinase activity.
[0126] The term "metastasis" as used herein refers to all
Ror2-involving processes that support cancer cells to disperse from
a primary tumor, penetrate into lymphatic and/or blood vessels,
circulate through the bloodstream, and grow in a distant focus
(metastasis) in normal tissues elsewhere in the body. In
particular, it refers to cellular events of tumor cells such as
proliferation, migration, anchorage independence, evasion of
apoptosis, or secretion of angiogenic factors, that underlie
metastasis and are stimulated or mediated by non-catalytic or
catalytic activities of Ror2, preferably including Ror2
phosphorylation and/or Ror2-mediated signal transduction.
[0127] The term "microenvironment" as used herein means any portion
or region of a tissue or body that has constant or temporal,
physical or chemical differences from other regions of the tissue
or regions of the body. For tumors, the term "tumor
microenvironment" as used herein refers to the environment in which
a tumor exists, which is the non-cellular area within the tumor and
the area directly outside the tumorous tissue but does not pertain
to the intracellular compartment of the cancer cell itself. The
tumor and the tumor microenvironment are closely related and
interact constantly. A tumor can change its microenvironment, and
the microenvironment can affect how a tumor grows and spreads.
Typically, the tumor microenvironment has a low pH in the range of
5.8 to 7.0, more commonly in the range of 6.0 to 6.8, in the range
of 6.2-6.8. On the other hand, a normal physiological pH is in the
range of 7.2-7.8. The tumor microenvironment is also known to have
lower concentration of glucose and other nutrients, but higher
concentration of lactic acid, in comparison with blood plasma.
Furthermore, the tumor microenvironment can have a temperature that
is 0.3 to 1.degree. C. higher than the normal physiological
temperature. The tumor microenvironment has been discussed in
Gillies et al., "MRI of the Tumor Microenvironment," Journal of
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, vol. 16, pp. 430-450, 2002, hereby
incorporated by reference herein its entirety. The term "non-tumor
microenvironment" refers to a microenvironment at a site other than
a tumor.
[0128] The term "monoclonal antibody" as used herein refers to an
antibody obtained from a population of substantially homogeneous
antibodies, i.e., the individual antibodies comprising the
population are identical and/or bind the same epitope, except for
possible variant antibodies, e.g., containing naturally occurring
mutations or arising during production of a monoclonal antibody
preparation, such variants generally being present in minor
amounts. In contrast to polyclonal antibody preparations, which
typically include different antibodies directed against different
determinants (epitopes), each monoclonal antibody of a monoclonal
antibody preparation is directed against a single determinant on an
antigen. Thus, the modifier "monoclonal" indicates the character of
the antibody as being obtained from a substantially homogeneous
population of antibodies, and is not to be construed as requiring
production of the antibody by any particular method. For example,
the monoclonal antibodies to be used in accordance with the present
invention may be made by a variety of techniques, including but not
limited to the hybridoma method, recombinant DNA methods,
phage-display methods, and methods utilizing transgenic animals
containing all or part of the human immunoglobulin loci, such
methods and other exemplary methods for making monoclonal
antibodies being described herein.
[0129] The term "naked antibody" as used herein refers to an
antibody that is not conjugated to a heterologous moiety (e.g., a
cytotoxic moiety) or radiolabel. The naked antibody may be present
in a pharmaceutical formulation.
[0130] The term "native antibodies" as used herein refers to
naturally occurring immunoglobulin molecules with varying
structures. For example, native IgG antibodies are heterotetrameric
glycoproteins of about 150,000 daltons, composed of two identical
light chains and two identical heavy chains that are
disulfide-bonded. From N- to C-terminus, each heavy chain has a
variable region (V.sub.H), also called a variable heavy domain or a
heavy chain variable domain, followed by three constant domains
(CH1, CH2, and CH3). Similarly, from N- to C-terminus, each light
chain has a variable region (V.sub.L), also called a variable light
domain or a light chain variable domain, followed by a constant
light (C.sub.L) domain. The light chain of an antibody may be
assigned to one of two types, called kappa (.kappa.) and lambda
(2), based on the amino acid sequence of its constant domain.
[0131] The term "package insert" as used herein is used to refer to
instructions customarily included in commercial packages of
therapeutic products, that contain information about the
indications, usage, dosage, administration, combination therapy,
contraindications and/or warnings concerning the use of such
therapeutic products.
[0132] The term "percent (%) amino acid sequence identity" with
respect to a reference polypeptide sequence as used herein is
defined as the percentage of amino acid residues in a candidate
sequence that are identical with the amino acid residues in the
reference polypeptide sequence, after aligning the sequences and
introducing gaps, if necessary, to achieve the maximum percent
sequence identity, and not considering any conservative
substitutions as part of the sequence identity. Alignment for
purposes of determining percent amino acid sequence identity can be
achieved in various ways that are within the skill in the art, for
instance, using publicly available computer software such as BLAST,
BLAST-2, ALIGN or Megalign (DNASTAR) software. Those skilled in the
art can determine appropriate parameters for aligning sequences,
including any algorithms needed to achieve maximal alignment over
the full length of the sequences being compared. For purposes
herein, however, % amino acid sequence identity values are
generated using the sequence comparison computer program ALIGN-2.
The ALIGN-2 sequence comparison computer program was authored by
Genentech, Inc., and the source code has been filed with user
documentation in the U.S. Copyright Office, Washington D.C., 20559,
where it is registered under U.S. Copyright Registration No.
TXU510087. The ALIGN-2 program is publicly available from
Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, Calif., or may be compiled
from the source code. The ALIGN-2 program should be compiled for
use on a UNIX operating system, including digital UNIX V4.0D. All
sequence comparison parameters are set by the ALIGN-2 program and
do not vary.
[0133] In situations where ALIGN-2 is employed for amino acid
sequence comparisons, the % amino acid sequence identity of a given
amino acid sequence A to, with, or against a given amino acid
sequence B (which can alternatively be phrased as a given amino
acid sequence A that has or comprises a certain % amino acid
sequence identity to, with, or against a given amino acid sequence
B) is calculated as follows:
100 times the fraction X/Y
where X is the number of amino acid residues scored as identical
matches by the sequence alignment program ALIGN-2 in that program's
alignment of A and B, and where Y is the total number of amino acid
residues in B. It will be appreciated that where the length of
amino acid sequence A is not equal to the length of amino acid
sequence B, the % amino acid sequence identity of A to B will not
equal the % amino acid sequence identity of B to A. Unless
specifically stated otherwise, all % amino acid sequence identity
values used herein are obtained as described in the immediately
preceding paragraph using the ALIGN-2 computer program.
[0134] The term "pharmaceutical formulation" as used herein refers
to a preparation which is in such form as to permit the biological
activity of an active ingredient contained therein to be effective,
and which contains no additional components which are unacceptably
toxic to a subject to which the formulation would be
administered.
[0135] The term "pharmaceutically acceptable carrier" as used
herein refers to an ingredient in a pharmaceutical formulation,
other than an active ingredient, which is nontoxic to a subject., A
pharmaceutically acceptable carrier includes, but is not limited
to, a buffer, excipient, stabilizer, or preservative.
[0136] The terms "purified" and "isolated" used herein refer to an
antibody according to the invention or to a nucleotide sequence,
that the indicated molecule is present in the substantial absence
of other biological macromolecules of the same type. The term
"purified" as used herein preferably means at least 75% by weight,
more preferably at least 85% by weight, more preferably still at
least 95% by weight, and most preferably at least 98% by weight, of
biological macromolecules of the same type are present. An
"isolated" nucleic acid molecule which encodes a particular
polypeptide refers to a nucleic acid molecule which is
substantially free of other nucleic acid molecules that do not
encode the polypeptide; however, the molecule may include some
additional bases or moieties which do not deleteriously affect the
basic characteristics of the composition.
[0137] The term "recombinant antibody" as used herein refers to an
antibody (e.g. a chimeric, humanized, or human antibody or
antigen-binding fragment thereof) that is expressed by a
recombinant host cell comprising nucleic acid encoding the
antibody. Examples of "host cells" for producing recombinant
antibodies include: (1) mammalian cells, for example, Chinese
Hamster Ovary (CHO), COS, myeloma cells (including Y0 and NS0
cells), baby hamster kidney (BHK), Hela and Vero cells; (2) insect
cells, for example, sf9, sf21 and Tn5; (3) plant cells, for example
plants belonging to the genus Nicotiana (e.g. Nicotiana tabacum);
(4) yeast cells, for example, those belonging to the genus
Saccharomyces (e.g. Saccharomyces cerevisiae) or the genus
Aspergillus (e.g. Aspergillus niger); (5) bacterial cells, for
example Escherichia. coli cells or Bacillus subtilis cells,
etc.
[0138] The term "Ror2" as used herein, refers to receptor tyrosine
kinase-like orphan receptor 2, which is a predicted 943-amino acid
protein with in vitro protein kinase activity, shown in Genbank
accession number AAI30523. Many lineage-restricted receptor
tyrosine kinases were initially identified as `orphans` homologous
to known receptors, and only subsequently used to identify their
unknown growth factors. DeChiara et al. (2000) identified one such
orphan, encoded by Ror2 as shown in FIG. 1.
[0139] The term "therapeutically effective amount" of the antibody
of the invention is meant a sufficient amount of the antibody to
treat said cancer, at a reasonable benefit/risk ratio applicable to
any medical treatment. It will be understood, however, that the
total daily usage of the antibodies and compositions of the present
invention will be decided by the attending physician within the
scope of sound medical judgment. The specific therapeutically
effective dose level for any particular patient will depend upon a
variety of factors including the disorder being treated and the
severity of the disorder; activity of the specific antibody
employed; the specific composition employed, the age, body weight,
general health, sex and diet of the patient; the time of
administration, route of administration, and rate of excretion of
the specific antibody employed; the duration of the treatment;
drugs used in combination or coincidental with the specific
antibody employed; and like factors well known in the medical arts.
For example, it is well known within the skill of the art to start
doses of the compound at levels lower than those required to
achieve the desired therapeutic effect and to gradually increase
the dosage until the desired effect is achieved.
[0140] The term "single chain Fv" ("scFv") as used herein is a
covalently linked V.sub.H::V.sub.L heterodimer which is usually
expressed from a gene fusion including V.sub.H and V.sub.L encoding
genes linked by a peptide-encoding linker. "dsFv" is a
V.sub.H::V.sub.L heterodimer stabilised by a disulfide bond.
Divalent and multivalent antibody fragments can form either
spontaneously by association of monovalent scFvs, or can be
generated by coupling monovalent scFvs by a peptide linker, such as
divalent sc(Fv)2.
[0141] The term "treatment," "treat," or "treating" as used herein
refers to clinical intervention in an attempt to alter the natural
course of the individual being treated, and can be performed either
for prophylaxis or during the course of clinical pathology.
Desirable effects of treatment include, but are not limited to,
preventing occurrence or recurrence of disease, alleviation of
symptoms, diminishment of any direct or indirect pathological
consequences of the disease, preventing metastasis, decreasing the
rate of disease progression, amelioration or palliation of the
disease state, and remission or improved prognosis. In some
embodiments, antibodies of the invention are used to delay
development of a disease or to slow the progression of a
disease.
[0142] The term "tumor" as used herein refers to all neoplastic
cell growth and proliferation, whether malignant or benign, and all
pre-cancerous and cancerous cells and tissues. The terms "cancer,"
"cancerous," "cell proliferative disorder," "proliferative
disorder" and "tumor" are not mutually exclusive as referred to
herein.
[0143] The term "variable region" or "variable domain" as used
herein refers to the domain of an antibody heavy or light chain
that is involved in binding the antibody to antigen. The variable
domains of the heavy chain and light chain (V.sub.H and V.sub.L,
respectively) of a native antibody generally have similar
structures, with each domain comprising four conserved framework
regions (FRs) and three hypervariable regions (HVRs). (See, e.g.,
Kindt et al. Kuby Immunology, 6th ed., W.H. Freeman and Co., page
91 (2007).) A single V.sub.H or V.sub.L domain may be sufficient to
confer antigen-binding specificity. Furthermore, antibodies that
bind a particular antigen may be isolated using a V.sub.H or
V.sub.L domain from an antibody that binds the antigen to screen a
library of complementary V.sub.L or V.sub.H domains, respectively.
See, e.g., Portolano et al., J. Immunol., vol. 150, pp. 880-887,
1993; Clarkson et al., Nature, vol. 352, pp. 624-628, 1991.
[0144] The term "vector" as used herein refers to a nucleic acid
molecule capable of propagating another nucleic acid to which it is
linked. The term includes the vector as a self-replicating nucleic
acid structure as well as the vector incorporated into the genome
of a host cell into which it has been introduced. Certain vectors
are capable of directing the expression of nucleic acids to which
they are operatively linked. Such vectors are referred to herein as
"expression vectors."
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0145] For illustrative purposes, the principles of the present
invention are described by referencing various exemplary
embodiments. Although certain embodiments of the invention are
specifically described herein, one of ordinary skill in the art
will readily recognize that the same principles are equally
applicable to, and can be employed in, other systems and methods.
Before explaining the disclosed embodiments of the present
invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is
not limited in its application to the details of any particular
embodiment shown. Additionally, the terminology used herein is for
the purpose of description and not for limitation. Furthermore,
although certain methods are described with reference to steps that
are presented herein in a certain order, in many instances, these
steps can be performed in any order as may be appreciated by one
skilled in the art; the novel method is therefore not limited to
the particular arrangement of steps disclosed herein.
[0146] It must be noted that as used herein and in the appended
claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural
references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Furthermore, the terms "a" (or "an"), "one or more", and "at least
one" can be used interchangeably herein. The terms "comprising",
"including", "having" and "constructed from" can also be used
interchangeably.
[0147] Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing
quantities of ingredients, properties such as molecular weight,
percent, ratio, reaction conditions, and so forth used in the
specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in
all instances by the term "about," whether or not the term "about"
is present. Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the
numerical parameters set forth in the specification and claims are
approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties
sought to be obtained by the present disclosure. At the very least,
and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of
equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter
should at least be construed in light of the number of reported
significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.
Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting
forth the broad scope of the disclosure are approximations, the
numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as
precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently
contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard
deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
[0148] It is to be understood that each component, compound,
substituent, or parameter disclosed herein is to be interpreted as
being disclosed for use alone or in combination with one or more of
each and every other component, compound, substituent, or parameter
disclosed herein.
[0149] It is also to be understood that each amount/value or range
of amounts/values for each component, compound, substituent, or
parameter disclosed herein is to be interpreted as also being
disclosed in combination with each amount/value or range of
amounts/values disclosed for any other component(s), compounds(s),
substituent(s), or parameter(s) disclosed herein and that any
combination of amounts/values or ranges of amounts/values for two
or more component(s), compounds(s), substituent(s), or parameters
disclosed herein are thus also disclosed in combination with each
other for the purposes of this description.
[0150] It is further understood that each lower limit of each range
disclosed herein is to be interpreted as disclosed in combination
with each upper limit of each range disclosed herein for the same
component, compounds, substituent, or parameter. Thus, a disclosure
of two ranges is to be interpreted as a disclosure of four ranges
derived by combining each lower limit of each range with each upper
limit of each range. A disclosure of three ranges is to be
interpreted as a disclosure of nine ranges derived by combining
each lower limit of each range with each upper limit of each range,
etc. Furthermore, specific amounts/values of a component, compound,
substituent, or parameter disclosed in the description or an
example is to be interpreted as a disclosure of either a lower or
an upper limit of a range and thus can be combined with any other
lower or upper limit of a range or specific amount/value for the
same component, compound, substituent, or parameter disclosed
elsewhere in the application to form a range for that component,
compound, substituent, or parameter.
A. Anti-Ror2 Antibodies
[0151] In one aspect, the present invention provides an isolated
heavy chain variable region polypeptide that specifically binds to
human Ror2 protein. The heavy chain variable region polypeptide
comprises three complementarity determining regions H1, H2, and H3
sequences, wherein: [0152] the H1 sequence is
GYTX.sub.1TEX.sub.2X.sub.3X.sub.4H (SEQ ID NO:1) or
GYSITTGX.sub.29YWN (SEQ ID NO:4); [0153] the H2 sequence is
X.sub.5X.sub.6X.sub.7X.sub.8NNGGTGYNQKFKG (SEQ ID NO:2) or
YITYDGSX.sub.30NYNPSLKN (SEQ ID NO:5); and [0154] the H3 sequence
is
X.sub.9X.sub.10X.sub.11SX.sub.12YX.sub.13YX.sub.14X.sub.15SYFX.sub.16X.su-
b.17X.sub.18 (SEQ ID NO:3) or
CSX.sub.31X.sub.32X.sub.33X.sub.34VX.sub.35X.sub.36X.sub.37LDX.sub.38
(SEQ ID NO:6);
[0155] wherein
[0156] X.sub.1 is F or E,
[0157] X.sub.2 is Y or D,
[0158] X.sub.3 is T or C,
[0159] X.sub.4 is M or D or E or Y,
[0160] X.sub.5 is G or S,
[0161] X.sub.6 is I or E,
[0162] X.sub.7 is N or C or L or V,
[0163] X.sub.8 is T or D or E,
[0164] X.sub.9 is A or M or T,
[0165] X.sub.10 is R or H,
[0166] X.sub.11 is G or E,
[0167] X.sub.12 is L or F,
[0168] X.sub.13 is S or G,
[0169] X.sub.14 is G or D,
[0170] X.sub.15 is N or E,
[0171] X.sub.16 is D or L,
[0172] X.sub.17 is Y or C or T,
[0173] X.sub.18 is W or L,
[0174] X.sub.29 is Y or E or R or T,
[0175] X.sub.30 is K or N,
[0176] X.sub.31 is R or G or H or W or Y,
[0177] X.sub.32 is F or C or N or Q,
[0178] X.sub.33 is E or S,
[0179] X.sub.34 is G or E or F or H or M or Q or S,
[0180] X.sub.35 is W or A or I or P or Q or T or V,
[0181] X.sub.36 is Y or G or N or Q,
[0182] X.sub.37 is G or S or T, and
[0183] X.sub.38 is Y or I.
[0184] The alignment of the heavy chain variable regions is shown
in FIGS. 2A-2B.
[0185] In another aspect, the present invention provides an
isolated light chain variable region polypeptide that specifically
binds to human Ror2 protein. The light chain variable region
polypeptide comprises three complementarity determining regions L1,
L2, and L3 sequences, wherein: [0186] the L1 sequence is
SATSSX.sub.19X.sub.29X.sub.21MX.sub.22 (SEQ ID NO:7) or
RASESVDRYGNSX.sub.39IH (SEQ ID NO:10); [0187] the L2 sequence is
X.sub.23TSNLAS (SEQ ID NO:8) or X.sub.40TYX.sub.41LES (SEQ ID
NO:11); and [0188] the L3 sequence is
QX.sub.24X.sub.25SX.sub.26YPFX.sub.27X.sub.28 (SEQ ID NO:9) or
QQX.sub.42NX.sub.43DPX.sub.44TX.sub.45 (SEQ ID NO:12);
[0189] wherein
[0190] X.sub.19 is V or E,
[0191] X.sub.20 is S or D,
[0192] X.sub.21 is Y or C or D,
[0193] X.sub.22 is H or G or L,
[0194] X.sub.23 is G or C or H or P,
[0195] X.sub.24 is Q or E,
[0196] X.sub.25 is R or H,
[0197] X.sub.26 is S or D or G or I or Q or V,
[0198] X.sub.27 is T or D,
[0199] X.sub.28 is F or D or E,
[0200] X.sub.39 is F or S or T,
[0201] X.sub.40 is R or C or D or E or W,
[0202] X.sub.41 is N or D,
[0203] X.sub.42 is T or I or P,
[0204] X.sub.43 is E or V,
[0205] X.sub.44 is W or T, and
[0206] X.sub.45 is F or T.
[0207] The alignment of the light chain variable regions is shown
in FIGS. 3A-3B.
[0208] The present invention identified these isolated heavy chain
variable regions and isolated light chain variable regions,
respectively, from the heavy chain variable region and light chain
variable region of a parent antibody through a method disclosed in
U.S. Pat. No. 8,709,755. This method of generating a conditionally
active antibody is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
[0209] The DNAs encoding the heavy chain variable region and light
chain variable region the parent antibody were evolved to generate
mutant antibody libraries using Comprehensive Positional Evolution
(CPE), which each position in the heavy chain variable region and
light chain variable region of the parent antibody is randomized
one at a time. Each mutant heavy chain/light chain in the libraries
has only one single point mutation, in comparison with the heavy
chain variable region or light chain variable region of the parent
antibody (FIGS. 2A-2B and 3A-3B). The mutants in the libraries were
screened for selective binding affinity to human Ror2 at pH 6.0
over pH 7.4 by ELISA. The mutant heavy chain/light chain variable
regions that are more active at pH 6.0 than at pH 7.4 were selected
as the heavy chain/light chain variable regions of conditionally
active antibodies, with the single point mutations indicated in
each of the heavy chain and light chain variable region (Tables 1
and 2, FIGS. 2A-2B and 3A-3B).
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Conditionally active anti-Ror2 antibody
light chain variable regions Affinity ELISA Mutants ratio, pH Clone
pH 6.0 pH 7.4 6.0/7.4 LC-V029E 0.406 0.129 3.15 LC-S030D 0.733
0.252 2.91 LC-Y031C 1.341 0.700 1.92 LC-Y031D 0.911 0.405 2.25
LC-H033G 1.103 0.536 2.06 LC-H033L 0.690 0.332 2.08 LC-G049C 0.468
0.133 3.52 LC-G049H 1.873 0.118 15.87 LC-G049P 0.660 0.268 2.46
LC-Q089E 0.438 0.251 1.74 LC-R090H 0.560 0.256 2.19 LC-S092D 1.127
1.122 1.00 LC-S092V 1.226 1.182 1.04 LC-T096D 0.755 0.474 1.59
LC-F097D 0.190 0.107 1.77 LC-F097E 0.489 0.215 2.28
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Conditionally active anti-Ror2 antibody
heavy chain variable regions Affinity ELISA mutants ratio, pH Clone
pH 6.0 pH 7.4 6.0/7.4 HC-F029E 1.342 0.742 1.81 HC-Y032D 1.470
0.510 2.88 HC-T033C 0.626 0.232 2.70 HC-M034D 1.244 0.211 5.90
HC-M034E 1.165 0.185 6.30 HC-M034Y 0.903 0.391 2.31 HC-G050S 0.823
0.318 2.60 HC-I051E 1.039 0.100 10.39 HC-N052C 0.995 0.431 2.31
HC-N052L 0.911 0.433 2.10 HC-N052V 0.870 0.340 2.56 HC-T053D 1.108
0.222 4.99 HC-T053E 0.540 0.157 3.44 HC-A097I 1.892 1.730 1.892
HC-A097M 1.977 1.701 1.977 HC-A097S 1.666 1.692 1.666 HC-A097T
1.834 1.692 1.666 HC-R098H 0.928 0.353 2.63 HC-R098Q 0.799 0.276
2.89 HC-G099E 0.616 0.421 1.46 HC-L101F 1.461 1.412 1.461 HC-S103G
0.794 0.655 1.21 HC-G105D 0.509 0.379 1.34 HC-N106E 0.224 0.115
1.95 HC-D110L 1.675 1.403 1.675 HC-Y111C 1.079 0.793 1.36 HC-Y111T
1.862 1.403 1.675 HC-W112L 1.746 1.704 1.746
[0210] In another aspect, the present invention includes the heavy
chain variable regions as represented in FIGS. 2A-2B and the light
chain variable regions as presented in FIGS. 3A-3B. Amino acid
sequences of the heavy chain variable regions are SEQ ID NOS:
18-26. The amino acid sequences of the light chain variable regions
are SEQ ID NOS: 13-17 and 27. These heavy chain variable regions
and light chain variable regions can specifically bind to human
Ror2. Antibodies or antibody fragments comprising one of these
heavy chain variable regions and light chain variable regions have
been found to have higher binding affinity to Ror2 at a pH in the
tumor microenvironment than at a pH in a non-tumor
microenvironment. For example, the antibodies and antibody
fragments have a higher binding affinity to Ror2 at pH 6.0 than at
pH 7.4.
[0211] The anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody fragments have a higher
binding affinity to Ror2 in a tumor in comparison with their
binding affinity to Ror2 in a normal tissue. These anti-Ror2
antibodies or antibody fragments have a longer half-life and
reduced side-effects, as well as comparable efficacy, in comparison
with monoclonal anti-Ror2 antibodies known in the art. These
features permit use of a higher dosage of these anti-Ror2
antibodies or antibody fragments to be delivered to a patient thus
being a more effective therapeutic option.
[0212] Though the present invention includes the heavy chain
variable regions and light chain variable regions presented in
FIGS. 2A-2B, 3A-3B and having amino acid sequences with SEQ ID NOS:
13-24, the present invention also provides variants thereof that
can specifically bind to human Ror2. In order to derive these
variants, the complementarity determining regions (CDRs) of the
heavy chain variable regions (H1-H3) and the complementarity
determining regions of the light chain variable regions (L1-L3)
should remain intact. However, the amino acid sequence of the heavy
chain variable regions and light chains variable regions outside of
the complementarity determining regions may be mutated in
accordance with the principles of substitution, insertion and
deletion as discussed in this application.
[0213] In deriving these variants, one is guided by the process as
described herein. The variants of the heavy chain variable regions
and light chain variable regions may be prepared by introducing
appropriate modifications into the nucleotide sequence encoding the
heavy chain variable regions and light chain variable regions, or
by peptide synthesis. Such modifications include, for example,
deletions from, and/or insertions into and/or substitutions of
residues within the amino acid sequences of the heavy chain
variable regions and light chain variable regions. Any combination
of deletion, insertion, and substitution can be made to arrive at
the antibodies or antibody fragments of the present invention,
provided that they possess the desired characteristics, e.g.,
antigen-binding to human Ror2 and/or conditional activity.
Substitution, Insertion, and Deletion Variants
[0214] In certain embodiments, antibody or antibody fragment
variants having one or more amino acid substitutions are provided.
Sites of interest for substitutional mutagenesis include the CDRs
and framework regions (FRs). Conservative substitutions are shown
in Table 3 under the heading of "conservative substitutions." More
substantial changes are provided in Table 3 under the heading of
"exemplary substitutions," and as further described below in
reference to amino acid side chain classes. Amino acid
substitutions may be introduced into an antibody or antibody
fragment of interest and the products screened for a desired
activity, e.g., retained/improved antigen binding, or decreased
immunogenicity.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Amino acid substitutions Original Exemplary
Preferred Residue Substitutions Substitutions Ala (A) Val; Leu; Ile
Val Arg (R) Lys; Gln; Asn Lys Asn (N) Gln; His; Asp, Lys; Arg Gln
Asp (D) Glu; Asn Glu Cys (C) Ser; Ala Ser Gln (Q) Asn; Glu Asn Glu
(E) Asp; Gln Asp Gly (G) Ala Ala His (H) Asn; Gln; Lys; Arg Arg Ile
(I) Leu; Val; Met; Ala; Phe; Norleucine Leu Leu (L) Norleucine;
Ile; Val; Met; Ala; Phe Ile Lys (K) Arg; Gln; Asn Arg Met (M) Leu;
Phe; Ile Leu Phe (F) Trp; Leu; Val; Ile; Ala; Tyr Tyr Pro (P) Ala
Ala Ser (S) Thr Thr Thr (T) Val; Ser Ser Trp (W) Tyr; Phe Tyr Tyr
(Y) Trp; Phe; Thr; Ser Phe Val (V) Ile; Leu; Met; Phe; Ala;
Norleucine Leu
[0215] Amino acids may be grouped according to common side-chain
properties:
[0216] (1) hydrophobic: Norleucine, Met, Ala, Val, Leu, Ile;
[0217] (2) neutral hydrophilic: Cys, Ser, Thr, Asn, Gln;
[0218] (3) acidic: Asp, Glu;
[0219] (4) basic: His, Lys, Arg;
[0220] (5) residues that influence chain orientation: Gly, Pro;
[0221] (6) aromatic: Trp, Tyr, Phe.
[0222] Non-conservative substitutions will entail exchanging a
member of one of these classes for another class.
[0223] One type of substitutional variant involves substituting one
or more hypervariable region residues of a parent antibody (e.g. a
humanized or human antibody). Generally, the resulting variant(s)
selected for further study will have modifications (e.g.,
improvements) in certain biological properties (e.g., increased
affinity, reduced immunogenicity) relative to the parent antibody
and/or will have substantially retained certain biological
properties of the parent antibody. An exemplary substitutional
variant is an affinity matured antibody, which may be conveniently
generated, e.g., using phage display-based affinity maturation
techniques such as those described herein. Briefly, one or more CDR
residues are mutated and the variant antibodies displayed on phage
and screened for a particular biological activity (e.g. binding
affinity).
[0224] Alterations (e.g., substitutions) may be made in CDRs, e.g.,
to improve antibody affinity. Such alterations may be made in CDR
"hotspots," i.e., residues encoded by codons that undergo mutation
at high frequency during the somatic maturation process (see, e.g.,
Chowdhury, Methods Mol. Biol., vol. 207, pp. 179-196, 2008), and/or
SDRs (a-CDRs), with the resulting variant VH or VL being tested for
binding affinity. Affinity maturation by constructing and
reselecting from secondary libraries has been described, e.g., in
Hoogenboom et al. in Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 178, pp.
1-37, 2001). In some embodiments of affinity maturation, diversity
is introduced into the variable genes chosen for maturation by any
of a variety of methods (e.g., error-prone PCR, chain shuffling, or
oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis). A secondary library is then
created. The library is then screened to identify any antibody
variants with the desired affinity. Another method to introduce
diversity involves CDR-directed approaches, in which several CDR
residues (e.g., 4-6 residues at a time) are randomized. CDR
residues involved in antigen binding may be specifically
identified, e.g., using alanine scanning mutagenesis or modeling.
CDR-H3 and CDR-L3 in particular are often targeted.
[0225] In certain embodiments, substitutions, insertions, or
deletions may occur within one or more HVRs so long as such
alterations do not substantially reduce the ability of the antibody
or antibody fragment to bind antigen. For example, conservative
alterations (e.g., conservative substitutions as provided herein)
that do not substantially reduce binding affinity may be made in
CDRs. Such alterations may be outside of CDR "hotspots" or SDRs. In
certain embodiments of the variant V.sub.H and V.sub.L sequences
provided above, each CDR either is unaltered, or contains no more
than one, two or three amino acid substitutions.
[0226] A useful method for identification of residues or regions of
an antibody that may be targeted for mutagenesis is called "alanine
scanning mutagenesis" as described by Cunningham and Wells,
Science, vol. 244, pp. 1081-1085, 1989. In this method, a residue
or group of target residues (e.g., charged residues such as arg,
asp, his, lys, and glu) are identified and replaced by a neutral or
negatively charged amino acid (e.g., alanine or polyalanine) to
determine whether the interaction of the antibody or antibody
fragment with antigen is affected. Further substitutions may be
introduced at the amino acid locations demonstrating functional
sensitivity to the initial substitutions. Alternatively, or
additionally, a crystal structure of an antigen-antibody complex to
identify contact points between the antibody or antibody fragment
and antigen. Such contact residues and neighboring residues may be
targeted or eliminated as candidates for substitution. Variants may
be screened to determine whether they contain the desired
properties.
[0227] Amino acid sequence insertions include amino- and/or
carboxyl-terminal fusions ranging in length from one residue to
polypeptides containing a hundred or more residues, as well as
intrasequence insertions of single or multiple amino acid residues.
Examples of terminal insertions include an antibody with an
N-terminal methionyl residue. Other insertional variants of the
antibody include the fusion to the N- or C-terminus of the antibody
to an enzyme (e.g. for ADEPT) or a polypeptide which increases the
serum half-life of the antibody.
[0228] Amino acid sequence modification(s) of the antibodies
described herein are contemplated. For example, it may be desirable
to improve the binding affinity and/or other biological properties
of the antibody. It is known that when a humanized antibody is
produced by simply grafting only CDRs in V.sub.H and V.sub.L of an
antibody derived from a non-human animal in FRs of the V.sub.H and
V.sub.L of a human antibody, the antigen binding activity is
reduced in comparison with that of the original antibody derived
from a non-human animal. It is considered that several amino acid
residues of the V.sub.H and V.sub.L of the non-human antibody, not
only in CDRs but also in FRs, are directly or indirectly associated
with the antigen binding activity. Hence, substitution of these
amino acid residues with different amino acid residues derived from
FRs of the V.sub.H and V.sub.L of the human antibody would reduce
of the binding activity. In order to resolve the problem, in
antibodies grafted with human CDR, attempts have to be made to
identify, among amino acid sequences of the FR of the V.sub.H and
V.sub.L of human antibodies, an amino acid residue which is
directly associated with binding to the antibody, or which
interacts with an amino acid residue of CDR, or which maintains the
three-dimensional structure of the antibody and which is directly
associated with binding to the antigen. The reduced antigen binding
activity could be increased by replacing the identified amino acids
with amino acid residues of the original antibody derived from a
non-human animal.
[0229] Modifications and changes may be made in the structure of
the antibodies of the present invention, and in the DNA sequences
encoding them, and still obtain a functional molecule that encodes
an antibody with desirable characteristics.
[0230] In making the changes in the amino sequences, the
hydropathic index of amino acids may be considered. The importance
of the hydropathic amino acid index in conferring interactive
biologic function on a protein is generally understood in the art.
It is accepted that the relative hydropathic character of the amino
acid contributes to the secondary structure of the resultant
protein, which in turn defines the interaction of the protein with
other molecules, for example, enzymes, substrates, receptors, DNA,
antibodies, antigens, and the like. Each amino acid has been
assigned a hydropathic index on the basis of their hydrophobicity
and charge characteristics these are: isoleucine (+4.5); valine
(+4.2); leucine (+3.8); phenylalanine (+2.8); cysteine/cystine
(+2.5); methionine (+1.9); alanine (+1.8); glycine (-0.4);
threonine (-0.7); serine (-0.8); tryptophan (-0.9); tyrosine
(-1.3); proline (-1.6); histidine (-3.2); glutamate (-3.5);
glutamine (-3.5); aspartate (-3.5); asparagine (-3.5); lysine
(-3.9); and arginine (-4.5).
[0231] A further object of the present invention also encompasses
function-conservative variants of the antibodies of the present
invention.
[0232] "Function-conservative variants" are those in which a given
amino acid residue in a protein or enzyme has been changed without
altering the overall conformation and function of the polypeptide,
including, but not limited to, replacement of an amino acid with
one having similar properties (such as, for example, polarity,
hydrogen bonding potential, acidic, basic, hydrophobic, aromatic,
and the like). Amino acids other than those indicated as conserved
may differ in a protein so that the percent protein or amino acid
sequence similarity between any two proteins of similar function
may vary and may be, for example, from 70% to 99% as determined
according to an alignment scheme such as by the Cluster Method,
wherein similarity is based on the MEGALIGN algorithm. A
"function-conservative variant" also includes a polypeptide which
has at least 60% amino acid identity as determined by BLAST or
FASTA algorithms, preferably at least 75%, more preferably at least
85%, still preferably at least 90%, and even more preferably at
least 95%, and which has the same or substantially similar
properties or functions as the native or parent protein to which it
is compared.
[0233] Two amino acid sequences are "substantially homologous" or
"substantially similar" when greater than 80%, preferably greater
than 85%, preferably greater than 90% of the amino acids are
identical, or greater than about 90%, preferably greater than 95%,
are similar (functionally identical) over the whole length of the
shorter sequence. Preferably, the similar or homologous sequences
are identified by alignment using, for example, the GCG (Genetics
Computer Group, Program Manual for the GCG Package, Version 7,
Madison, Wis.) pileup program, or any of sequence comparison
algorithms such as BLAST, FASTA, etc.
[0234] For example, certain amino acids may be substituted by other
amino acids in a protein structure without appreciable loss of
activity. Since the interactive capacity and nature of a protein
define the protein's biological functional activity, certain amino
acid substitutions can be made in a protein sequence, and, of
course, in its DNA encoding sequence, while nevertheless obtaining
a protein with like properties. It is thus contemplated that
various changes may be made in the sequences of the antibodies or
antibody fragments of the invention, or corresponding DNA sequences
which encode said antibodies or antibody fragments, without
appreciable loss of their biological activity.
[0235] It is known in the art that certain amino acids may be
substituted by other amino acids having a similar hydropathic index
or score and still result in a protein with similar biological
activity, i.e. still obtain a biological functionally equivalent
protein.
[0236] As outlined above, amino acid substitutions are generally
therefore based on the relative similarity of the amino acid
side-chain substituents, for example, their hydrophobicity,
hydrophilicity, charge, size, and the like. Exemplary substitutions
which take various of the foregoing characteristics into
consideration are well known to those of skill in the art and
include: arginine and lysine; glutamate and aspartate; serine and
threonine; glutamine and asparagine; and valine, leucine and
isoleucine.
[0237] Glycosylation Variants
[0238] In certain embodiments, an antibody provided herein is
altered to increase or decrease the extent to which the antibody is
glycosylated. Addition or deletion of glycosylation sites to an
antibody may be conveniently accomplished by altering the amino
acid sequence such that one or more glycosylation sites is created
or removed.
[0239] Where the antibody comprises an Fc region, the carbohydrate
attached thereto may be altered. Native antibodies produced by
mammalian cells typically comprise a branched, biantennary
oligosaccharide that is generally attached by an N-linkage to
Asn297 of the CH2 domain of the Fc region. See, e.g., Wright et al.
TIBTECH, vol. 15, pp. 26-32, 1997. The oligosaccharide may include
various carbohydrates, e.g., mannose, N-acetyl glucosamine
(GlcNAc), galactose, and sialic acid, as well as a fucose attached
to a GlcNAc in the "stem" of the biantennary oligosaccharide
structure. In some embodiments, modifications of the
oligosaccharide in an antibody of the invention may be made in
order to create antibody variants with certain improved
properties.
[0240] In one embodiment, antibody variants are provided having a
carbohydrate structure that lacks fucose attached (directly or
indirectly) to an Fc region. For example, the amount of fucose in
such antibody may be from 1% to 80%, from 1% to 65%, from 5% to 65%
or from 20% to 40%. The amount of fucose is determined by
calculating the average amount of fucose within the sugar chain at
Asn297, relative to the sum of all glycostructures attached to Asn
297 (e.g. complex, hybrid and high mannose structures) as measured
by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, as described in WO 2008/077546, for
example. Asn297 refers to the asparagine residue located at about
position 297 in the Fc region (Eu numbering of Fc region residues);
however, Asn297 may also be located about .+-.3 amino acids
upstream or downstream of position 297, i.e., between positions 294
and 300, due to minor sequence variations in antibodies. Such
fucosylation variants may have improved ADCC function. See, e.g.,
US Patent Publication Nos. US 2003/0157108 (Presta, L.); US
2004/0093621 (Kyowa Hakko Kogyo Co., Ltd). Examples of publications
related to "defucosylated" or "fucose-deficient" antibody variants
include: US 2003/0157108; WO 2000/61739; WO 2001/29246; US
2003/0115614; US 2002/0164328; US 2004/0093621; US 2004/0132140; US
2004/0110704; US 2004/0110282; US 2004/0109865; WO 2003/085119; WO
2003/084570; WO 2005/035586; WO 2005/035778; WO2005/053742;
WO2002/031140; Okazaki et al. J. Mol. Biol., vol. 336, pp.
1239-1249, 2004; Yamane-Ohnuki et al. Biotech. Bioeng., vol. 87,
pp. 614-622, 2004. Examples of cell lines capable of producing
defucosylated antibodies include Lec13 CHO cells deficient in
protein fucosylation (Ripka et al. Arch. Biochem. Biophys., vol.
249, pp. 533-545, 1986; US Pat Appl No US 2003/0157108 A; and WO
2004/056312 A1, especially at Example 11), and knockout cell lines,
such as alpha-1,6-fucosyltransferase gene, FUT8, knockout CHO cells
(see, e.g., Yamane-Ohnuki et al. Biotech. Bioeng., vol. 87, pp.
614-622, 2004; Kanda, Y. et al., Biotechnol. Bioeng., vol. 94, pp.
680-688, 2006; and WO2003/085107).
[0241] Antibody variants are further provided with bisected
oligosaccharides, e.g., in which a biantennary oligosaccharide
attached to the Fc region of the antibody is bisected by GlcNAc.
Such antibody variants may have reduced fucosylation and/or
improved ADCC function. Examples of such antibody variants are
described, e.g., in WO 2003/011878; U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,684; and US
2005/0123546. Antibody variants with at least one galactose residue
in the oligosaccharide attached to the Fc region are also provided.
Such antibody variants may have improved CDC function. Such
antibody variants are described, e.g., in WO 1997/30087; WO
1998/58964; and WO 1999/22764.
Fe Region Variants
[0242] In certain embodiments, one or more amino acid modifications
may be introduced into the Fc region of an antibody provided
herein, thereby generating an Fc region variant. The Fc region
variant may comprise a human Fc region sequence (e.g., a human
IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 or IgG4 Fc region) comprising an amino acid
modification (e.g. a substitution) at one or more amino acid
positions.
[0243] In certain embodiments, the invention contemplates an
antibody variant that possesses some but not all effector
functions, which make it a desirable candidate for applications in
which the half life of the antibody in vivo is important yet
certain effector functions (such as ADCC) are unnecessary or
deleterious. In vitro and/or in vivo cytotoxicity assays can be
conducted to confirm the reduction/depletion of CDC and/or ADCC
activities. For example, Fc receptor (FcR) binding assays can be
conducted to ensure that the antibody lacks Fc.gamma.R binding
(hence likely lacking ADCC activity), but retains FcRn binding
ability. The primary cells for mediating ADCC, NK cells, express
Fc.gamma.RIII only, whereas monocytes express Fc.gamma.R1,
Fc.gamma.RII and Fc.gamma.RIII. FcR expression on hematopoietic
cells is summarized in Table 3 on page 464 of Ravetch and Kinet,
Annu. Rev. Immunol., vol. 9, pp. 457-492, 1991. Non-limiting
examples of in vitro assays to assess ADCC activity of a molecule
of interest is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,362 (see also, e.g.
Hellstrom et al. Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 83, pp.
7059-7063, 1986) and Hellstrom, I et al., Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci.
USA, vol. 82, pp. 1499-1502, 1985; U.S. Pat. No. 5,821,337 (see
also Bruggemann et al., J. Exp. Med., vol. 166, pp. 1351-1361,
1987). Alternatively, non-radioactive assays methods may be
employed (see, for example, ACTI.TM. non-radioactive cytotoxicity
assay for flow cytometry (CellTechnology, Inc. Mountain View,
Calif.; and CytoTox 96.RTM. non-radioactive cytotoxicity assay
(Promega, Madison, Wis.). Useful effector cells for such assays
include peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and Natural
Killer (NK) cells. Alternatively, or additionally, ADCC activity of
the molecule of interest may be assessed in vivo, e.g., in a animal
model such as that disclosed in Clynes et al. Proc. Nat'l Acad.
Sci. USA, vol. 95, pp. 652-656, 1998. C1q binding assays may also
be carried out to confirm that the antibody is unable to bind C1q
and hence lacks CDC activity. See, e.g., C1q and C3c binding ELISA
in WO 2006/029879 and WO 2005/100402. To assess complement
activation, a CDC assay may be performed (see, for example,
Gazzano-Santoro et al., J. Immunol. Methods, vol. 202, pp. 163-171,
1996; Cragg, M. S. et al., Blood, vol. 101, pp. 1045-1052, 2003;
and Cragg, M. S, and M. J. Glennie, Blood, vol. 103, pp. 2738-2743,
2004). FcRn binding and in vivo clearance/half life determinations
can also be performed using methods known in the art (see, e.g.,
Petkova, S. B. et al., Int'l Immunol., vol. 18, pp. 1759-1769,
2006).
[0244] Antibodies with reduced effector function include those with
substitution of one or more of Fc region residues 238, 265, 269,
270, 297, 327 and 329 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,737,056). Such Fc mutants
include Fc mutants with substitutions at two or more of amino acid
positions 265, 269, 270, 297 and 327, including the so-called
"DANA" Fc mutant with substitution of residues 265 and 297 to
alanine (U.S. Pat. No. 7,332,581).
[0245] Certain antibody variants with improved or diminished
binding to FcRs are described. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,737,056;
WO 2004/056312, and Shields et al., J. Biol. Chem., vol. 9, pp.
6591-6604, 2001).
[0246] In certain embodiments, an antibody variant comprises an Fc
region with one or more amino acid substitutions which improve
ADCC, e.g., substitutions at positions 298, 333, and/or 334 of the
Fc region (EU numbering of residues).
[0247] In some embodiments, alterations are made in the Fc region
that result in altered (i.e., either improved or diminished) C1q
binding and/or Complement Dependent Cytotoxicity (CDC), e.g., as
described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,194,551, WO 99/51642, and Idusogie et
al. J. Immunol., vol. 164, pp. 4178-4184, 2000.
[0248] Antibodies with increased half lives and improved binding to
the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), which is responsible for the
transfer of maternal IgGs to the fetus (Guyer et al., J. Immunol.,
vol. 117, pp. 587-593, 1976 and Kim et al., J. Immunol., vol. 24,
p. 249, 1994), are described in US2005/0014934. Those antibodies
comprise an Fc region with one or more substitutions therein which
improve binding of the Fc region to FcRn. Such Fc variants
include/e those with substitutions at one or more of Fc region
residues: 238, 256, 265, 272, 286, 303, 305, 307, 311, 312, 317,
340, 356, 360, 362, 376, 378, 380, 382, 413, 424 or 434, e.g.,
substitution of Fc region residue 434 (U.S. Pat. No. 7,371,826).
See also Duncan & Winter, Nature, vol. 322, pp. 738-740, 1988;
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,648,260; 5,624,821; and WO 94/29351 concerning
other examples of Fc region variants.
Cysteine Engineered Antibody Variants
[0249] In certain embodiments, it may be desirable to create
cysteine engineered antibodies, e.g., "thioMAbs," in which one or
more residues of an antibody are substituted with cysteine
residues. In particular embodiments, the substituted residues occur
at accessible sites of the antibody. By substituting those residues
with cysteine, reactive thiol groups are thereby positioned at
accessible sites of the antibody and may be used to conjugate the
antibody to other moieties, such as drug moieties or linker-drug
moieties, to create an immunoconjugate, as described further
herein. In certain embodiments, any one or more of the following
residues may be substituted with cysteine: V205 (Kabat numbering)
of the light chain; A118 (EU numbering) of the heavy chain; and
5400 (EU numbering) of the heavy chain Fc region. Cysteine
engineered antibodies may be generated as described, e.g., in U.S.
Pat. No. 7,521,541.
Antibody Derivatives
[0250] In certain embodiments, an antibody or antibody fragment
provided herein may be further modified to contain additional
nonproteinaceous moieties that are known in the art and readily
available. The moieties suitable for derivatization of the antibody
or antibody fragment include but are not limited to water soluble
polymers. Non-limiting examples of water soluble polymers include,
but are not limited to, polyethylene glycol (PEG), copolymers of
ethylene glycol/propylene glycol, carboxymethylcellulose, dextran,
polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, poly-1,3-dioxolane,
poly-1,3,6-trioxane, ethylene/maleic anhydride copolymer,
polyaminoacids (either homopolymers or random copolymers), and
dextran or poly(n-vinyl pyrrolidone)polyethylene glycol,
propropylene glycol homopolymers, polypropylene oxide/ethylene
oxide co-polymers, polyoxyethylated polyols (e.g., glycerol),
polyvinyl alcohol, and mixtures thereof. Polyethylene glycol
propionaldehyde may have advantages in manufacturing due to its
stability in water. The polymer may be of any molecular weight, and
may be branched or unbranched. The number of polymers attached to
the antibody or antibody fragment may vary, and if more than one
polymer are attached, they can be the same or different molecules.
In general, the number and/or type of polymers used for
derivatization can be determined based on considerations including,
but not limited to, the particular properties or functions of the
antibody or antibody fragment to be improved, whether the
derivative will be used in a therapy under defined conditions,
etc.
[0251] In another embodiment, conjugates of an antibody or antibody
fragment and nonproteinaceous moiety that may be selectively heated
by exposure to radiation are provided. In one embodiment, the
nonproteinaceous moiety is a carbon nanotube (Kam et al., Proc.
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 102, pp. 11600-11605, 2005). The
radiation may be of any wavelength, and includes, but is not
limited to, wavelengths that do not harm ordinary cells, but which
heat the nonproteinaceous moiety to a temperature at which cells
proximal to the antibody-nonproteinaceous moiety are killed.
[0252] In another aspect, the present invention provides an
anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment including the isolated
heavy chain variable region polypeptides or isolated light chain
variable region polypeptides. The isolated heavy chain variable
region polypeptides comprise the H1, H2, and H3 regions with SEQ ID
NOS: 1-6. The isolated light chain variable region polypeptides
comprise the L1, L2, and L3 regions with SEQ ID NOS: 7-12.
[0253] The anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment of the invention
has a higher binding affinity to Ror2 under a condition in tumor
microenvironment than under a condition in a non-tumor
microenvironment. In one embodiment, the condition in tumor
microenvironment and the condition in a non-tumor microenvironment
are both pH. The anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody fragments of the
invention thus can selectively bind to Ror2 at a pH about 5.of-6.8
but will have a lower binding affinity to Ror2 at a pH about
7.2-7.8 encountered in a normal physiological environment. As shown
Example 1, the anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody fragments have
higher binding affinity to Ror2 at pH 6.0 that at pH 7.4.
[0254] In certain embodiments, the anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody
fragments of the present invention have a dissociation constant
(Kd) with Ror2 under a condition in tumor microenvironment of about
.ltoreq.1 .mu.M, .ltoreq.100 nM, .ltoreq.10 nM, .ltoreq.1 nM,
.ltoreq.0.1 nM, .ltoreq.0.01 nM, or .ltoreq.0.001 nM (e.g.
10.sup.-8M or less, or from 10.sup.-8M to 10.sup.-13M, or from
10.sup.-9M to 10.sup.|13 M). In one embodiment, the ratio of the Kd
of the antibody or antibody fragment with Ror2 at a value of the
condition in tumor microenvironment to the Kd at a different value
of the same condition in non-tumor microenvironment is at least
about 1.5:1, at least about 2:1, at least about 3:1, at least about
4:1, at least about 5:1, at least about 6:1, at least about 7:1, at
least about 8:1, at least about 9:1, at least about 10:1, at least
about 20:1, at least about 30:1, at least about 50:1, at least
about 70:1, or at least about 100:1.
[0255] In one embodiment, Kd is measured by a radiolabeled antigen
binding assay (RIA) performed with the Fab version of an antibody
of interest and its antigen using the following assay. Solution
binding affinity of Fabs for antigen is measured by equilibrating
Fab with a minimal concentration of (.sup.125I)-labeled antigen in
the presence of a titration series of unlabeled antigen, then
capturing bound antigen with an anti-Fab antibody-coated plate
(see, e.g., Chen et al., J. Mol. Biol. 293:865-881 (1999)). To
establish conditions for the assay, MICROTITER.RTM. multi-well
plates (Thermo Scientific) are coated overnight with 5 .mu.g/ml of
a capturing anti-Fab antibody (Cappel Labs) in 50 mM sodium
carbonate (pH 9.6), and subsequently blocked with 2% (w/v) bovine
serum albumin in PBS for two to five hours at room temperature
(approximately 23.degree. C.). In a non-adsorbent plate (Nunc
#269620), 100 pM or 26 pM [.sup.125I]-antigen are mixed with serial
dilutions of a Fab of interest (e.g., consistent with assessment of
the anti-VEGF antibody, Fab-12, in Presta et al., Cancer Res.
57:4593-4599 (1997)). The Fab of interest is then incubated
overnight; however, the incubation may continue for a longer period
(e.g., about 65 hours) to ensure that equilibrium is reached.
Thereafter, the mixtures are transferred to the capture plate for
incubation at room temperature (e.g., for one hour). The solution
is then removed and the plate washed eight times with 0.1%
polysorbate 20 (TWEEN-20.RTM.) in PBS. When the plates have dried,
150 .mu.l/well of scintillant (MICROSCINT-20.TM.; Packard) is
added, and the plates are counted on a TOPCOUNT.TM. gamma counter
(Packard) for ten minutes. Concentrations of each Fab that give
less than or equal to 20% of maximal binding are chosen for use in
competitive binding assays.
[0256] According to another embodiment, Kd is measured using
surface plasmon resonance assays using a BIACORE.RTM.-2000 or a
BIACORE.RTM.-3000 (BIAcore, Inc., Piscataway, N.J.) at 25.degree.
C. with immobilized antigen CM5 chips at about 10 response units
(RU). Briefly, carboxymethylated dextran biosensor chips (CM5,
BIACORE, Inc.) are activated with
N-ethyl-N'-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC)
and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) according to the supplier's
instructions. Antigen is diluted with 10 mM sodium acetate, pH 4.8,
to 5 .mu.g/ml C0.2 04) before injection at a flow rate of 5
.mu.l/minute to achieve approximately 10 response units (RU) of
coupled protein. Following the injection of antigen, 1 M
ethanolamine is injected to block unreacted groups. For kinetics
measurements, two-fold serial dilutions of Fab (0.78 nM to 500 nM)
are injected in PBS with 0.05% polysorbate 20 (TWEEN-20.TM.)
surfactant (PBST) at 25.degree. C. at a flow rate of approximately
25 .mu.l/min. Association rates (k.sub.on) and dissociation rates
(k.sub.off) are calculated using a simple one-to-one Langmuir
binding model (BIACORE.RTM. Evaluation Software version 3.2) by
simultaneously fitting the association and dissociation
sensorgrams. The equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) is
calculated as the ratio k.sub.off/k.sub.on. See, e.g., Chen et al.,
J. Mol. Biol. 293:865-881 (1999). If the on-rate exceeds 10.sup.6
M.sup.-1 s.sup.-1 by the surface plasmon resonance assay above,
then the on-rate can be determined by using a fluorescent quenching
technique that measures the increase or decrease in fluorescence
emission intensity (excitation=295 nm; emission=340 nm, 16 nm
band-pass) at 25.degree. C. of a 20 nM anti-antigen antibody (Fab
form) in PBS, pH 7.2, in the presence of increasing concentrations
of antigen as measured in a spectrometer, such as a stop-flow
equipped spectrophometer (Aviv Instruments) or a 8000-series
SLM-AMINCO.TM. spectrophotometer (ThermoSpectronic) with a stirred
cuvette.
[0257] The anti-Ror2 antibodies of the invention may be a chimeric,
humanized or human antibody. In one embodiment, an anti-Ror2
antibody fragment is employed, e.g., a Fv, Fab, Fab', Fab'-SH,
scFv, a diabody, a triabody, a tetrabody or an F(ab').sub.2
fragment and multispecific antibodies formed from antibody
fragments. In another embodiment, the antibody is a full length
antibody, e.g., an intact IgG antibody or other antibody class or
isotype as defined herein. For a review of certain antibody
fragments, see Hudson et al. Nat. Med., vol. 9, pp. 129-134, 2003.
For a review of scFv fragments, see, e.g., Pluckthun, in The
Pharmacology of Monoclonal Antibodies, vol. 113, Rosenburg and
Moore eds., (Springer-Verlag, New York), pp. 269-315 (1994); see
also WO 93/16185; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,571,894 and 5,587,458. For
discussion of Fab and F(ab').sub.2 fragments comprising salvage
receptor binding epitope residues and having increased in vivo
half-life, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,869,046.
[0258] The diabodies of the invention may be bivalent or
bispecific. See, for example, EP 404,097; WO 1993/01161; Hudson et
al., Nat. Med. 9:129-134 (2003); and Hollinger et al., Proc. Natl.
Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 90, pp. 6444-6448, 1993 for examples of
diabodies. Examples of triabodies and tetrabodies are also
described in Hudson et al., Nat. Med., vol. 9, pp. 129-134,
2003.
[0259] In some embodiments, the invention comprises single-domain
antibody fragments comprising all or a portion of the heavy chain
variable domain or all or a portion of the light chain variable
domain of an antibody. In certain embodiments, a single-domain
antibody is a human single-domain antibody (Domantis, Inc.,
Waltham, Mass.; see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,516 B1).
[0260] Antibody fragments can be made by various techniques,
including but not limited to proteolytic digestion of an intact
antibody as well as production by recombinant host cells (e.g. E.
coli or phage), as described herein.
[0261] In some embodiments, the anti-Ror2 antibodies of the
invention may be chimeric antibodies. Certain chimeric antibodies
are described, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567; and Morrison et
al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 81, pp. 6851-6855, 1984). In
one example, the chimeric antibody comprises a non-human variable
region (e.g., a variable region derived from a mouse, rat, hamster,
rabbit, or non-human primate, such as a monkey) and a human
constant region. In a further example, the chimeric antibody is a
"class switched" antibody in which the class or subclass of the
antibody has been changed relative to the class or subclass of the
parent antibody. Chimeric antibodies include antigen-binding
fragments thereof
[0262] In certain embodiments, the chimeric antibody of the
invention is a humanized antibody. Typically, such a non-human
antibody is humanized to reduce immunogenicity to humans, while
retaining the specificity and affinity of the parental non-human
antibody. Generally, a humanized antibody comprises one or more
variable domains in which CDRs (or portions thereof) are derived
from a non-human antibody, and FRs (or portions thereof) are
derived from human antibody sequences. A humanized antibody may
optionally also comprise at least a portion of a human constant
region. In some embodiments, some FR residues in a humanized
antibody are substituted with corresponding residues from a
non-human antibody (e.g., the antibody from which the CDR residues
are derived), e.g., to restore or improve antibody specificity or
affinity.
[0263] Humanized antibodies and methods of making them are
reviewed, e.g., in Almagro and Fransson, Front. Biosci., vol. 13,
pp. 1619-1633, 2008, and are further described, e.g., in Riechmann
et al., Nature, vol. 332, pp. 323-329, 1988; Queen et al., Proc.
Nat'l Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 86, pp. 10029-10033, 1989; U.S. Pat.
Nos. 5,821,337, 7,527,791, 6,982,321, and 7,087,409; Kashmiri et
al., Methods, vol. 36, pp. 25-34, 2005 (describing SDR (a-CDR)
grafting); Padlan, Mol. Immunol., vol. 28, pp. 489-498, 1991
(describing "resurfacing"); Dall'Acqua et al., Methods, vol. 36,
pp. 43-60, 2005 (describing "FR shuffling"); and Osbourn et al.,
Methods, vol. 36, pp. 61-68, 2005 and Klimka et al., Br. J. Cancer,
vol. 83, pp. 252-260, 2000 (describing the "guided selection"
approach to FR shuffling).
[0264] Human framework regions that may be used for humanization
include but are not limited to: framework regions selected using
the "best-fit" method (see, e.g., Sims et al. J. Immunol., vol.
151, p. 2296, 1993); framework regions derived from the consensus
sequence of human antibodies of a particular subgroup of light or
heavy chain variable regions (see, e.g., Carter et al. Proc. Natl.
Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 89, p. 4285, 1992; and Presta et al. J.
Immunol., vol. 151, p. 2623, 1993); human mature (somatically
mutated) framework regions or human germline framework regions
(see, e.g., Almagro and Fransson, Front. Biosci., vol. 13, pp.
1619-1633, 2008); and framework regions derived from screening FR
libraries (see, e.g., Baca et al., J. Biol. Chem., vol. 272, pp.
10678-10684, 1997 and Rosok et al., J. Biol. Chem., vol. 271, pp.
22611-22618, 1996).
[0265] In some embodiments, the anti-Ror2 antibodies of the
invention are multispecific, e.g. bispecific antibodies.
Multispecific antibodies are monoclonal antibodies that have
binding specificities for at least two different sites. In certain
embodiments, one of the binding specificities is for Ror2 and the
other is for another antigen. In certain embodiments, bispecific
antibodies may bind to two different epitopes of Ror2. Bispecific
antibodies may also be used to localize cytotoxic agents to cells
which express Ror2. Bispecific antibodies can be prepared as full
length antibodies or antibody fragments.
[0266] Techniques for making multispecific antibodies include, but
are not limited to, recombinant co-expression of two immunoglobulin
heavy chain-light chain pairs having different specificities (see
Milstein and Cuello, Nature, vol. 305, pp. 537-540, 1983), WO
93/08829, and Traunecker et al., EMBO J. vol. 10, pp. 3655-3659,
1991), and "knob-in-hole" engineering (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No.
5,731,168). Multi-specific antibodies may also be made by
engineering electrostatic steering effects for making antibody
Fc-heterodimeric molecules (WO 2009/089004A1); cross-linking two or
more antibodies or fragments (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,980,
and Brennan et al., Science, vol. 229, pp. 81-83, 1985); using
leucine zippers to produce bi-specific antibodies (see, e.g.,
Kostelny et al., J. Immunol., vol. 148, pp. 1547-1553, 1992); using
"diabody" technology for making bispecific antibody fragments (see,
e.g., Hollinger et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 90, pp.
6444-6448, 1993); and using single-chain Fv (scFv) dimers (see,
e.g. Gruber et al., J. Immunol., vol. 152, pp. 5368-5374, 1994);
and preparing trispecific antibodies as described, e.g., in Tutt et
al. J. Immunol., vol. 147, pp. 60-69, 1991.
[0267] Engineered antibodies with three or more functional antigen
binding sites, including "Octopus antibodies," are also included
herein (see, e.g. US 2006/0025576A1).
[0268] The antibody or antibody fragment may also include a "Dual
Acting Fab" or "DAF" comprising an antigen binding site that binds
to Ror2 as well as another, different antigen (such as Ror1, see,
US 2008/0069820, for example).
[0269] The anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody fragments of the
invention may be produced using recombinant methods and
compositions, which are described in detail in US 2016/0017040.
[0270] The physical/chemical properties and/or biological
activities of the anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody fragments of the
invention may be tested and measured by various assays known in the
art. Some of these assays are described in U.S. Pat. No.
8,853,369.
B. Immunoconjugates
[0271] In another aspect, the invention also provides
immunoconjugates comprising an anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody
fragment conjugated to one or more cytotoxic agents, such as
chemotherapeutic agents or drugs, growth inhibitory agents, toxins
(e.g., protein toxins, enzymatically active toxins of bacterial,
fungal, plant, or animal origin, or fragments thereof), or
radioactive isotopes.
[0272] In one embodiment, the immunoconjugate is an antibody-drug
conjugate (ADC) in which an antibody or antibody fragment is
conjugated to one or more drugs, including but not limited to a
maytansinoid (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,208,020, 5,416,064 and European
Patent EP 0 425 235 B1); an auristatin such as monomethylauristatin
drug moieties DE and DF (MMAE and MMAF) (see U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,635,483 and 5,780,588, and 7,498,298); a dolastatin; a
calicheamicin or derivative thereof (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,712,374,
5,714,586, 5,739,116, 5,767,285, 5,770,701, 5,770,710, 5,773,001,
and 5,877,296; Hinman et al., Cancer Res., vol. 53, pp. 3336-3342,
1993; and Lode et al., Cancer Res., vol. 58, pp. 2925-2928, 1998);
an anthracycline such as daunomycin or doxorubicin (see Kratz et
al., Current Med. Chem., vol. 13, pp. 477-523, 2006; Jeffrey et
al., Bioorganic & Med. Chem. Letters, vol. 16, pp. 358-362,
2006; Torgov et al., Bioconj. Chem., vol. 16, pp. 717-721, 2005;
Nagy et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 97, pp. 829-834,
2000; Dubowchik et al., Bioorg. & Med. Chem. Letters, vol. 12,
vol. 1529-1532, 2002; King et al., J. Med. Chem., vol. 45, pp.
4336-4343, 2002; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,579); methotrexate;
vindesine; a taxane such as docetaxel, paclitaxel, larotaxel,
tesetaxel, and ortataxel; a trichothecene; and CC1065.
[0273] In another embodiment, an immunoconjugate comprises an
antibody or antibody fragment as described herein conjugated to an
enzymatically active toxin or fragment thereof, including but not
limited to diphtheria A chain, nonbinding active fragments of
diphtheria toxin, exotoxin A chain (from Pseudomonas aeruginosa),
ricin A chain, abrin A chain, modeccin A chain, alpha-sarcin,
Aleurites fordii proteins, dianthin proteins, Phytolaca americana
proteins (PAPI, PAPII, and PAP-S), Momordica charantiainhibitor,
curcin, crotin, Sapaonaria officinalis inhibitor, gelonin,
mitogellin, restrictocin, phenomycin, enomycin, and the
tricothecenes.
[0274] In another embodiment, an immunoconjugate comprises an
antibody or antibody fragment as described herein conjugated to a
radioactive atom to form a radioconjugate. A variety of radioactive
isotopes are available for the production of radioconjugates.
Examples include At.sup.211, I.sup.131, I.sup.125, Y.sup.90,
Re.sup.186, Re.sup.188, Sm.sup.153, Bi.sup.212, P.sup.32,
Fp.sup.212 and radioactive isotopes of Lu. When the radioconjugate
is used for detection, it may comprise a radioactive atom for
scintigraphic studies, for example tc99m or I123, or a spin label
for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging (also known as
magnetic resonance imaging, MRI), such as iodine-123 again,
iodine-131, indium-111, fluorine-19, carbon-13, nitrogen-15,
oxygen-17, gadolinium, manganese or iron.
[0275] Conjugates of an antibody/antibody fragment and cytotoxic
agent may be made using a variety of bifunctional protein coupling
agents such as N-succinimidyl-3-(2-pyridyldithio) propionate
(SPDP), succinimidyl-4-(N-maleimidomethyl)cyclohexane-1-carboxylate
(SMCC), iminothiolane (IT), bifunctional derivatives of imidoesters
(such as dimethyl adipimidate HCl), active esters (such as
disuccinimidyl suberate), aldehydes (such as glutaraldehyde),
bis-azido compounds (such as bis(p-azidobenzoyl)hexanediamine),
bis-diazonium derivatives (such as
bis-(p-diazoniumbenzoyl)-ethylenediamine), diisocyanates (such as
toluene 2,6-diisocyanate), and bis-active fluorine compounds (such
as 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene). For example, a ricin
immunotoxin can be prepared as described in Vitetta et al.,
Science, vol. 238, pp. 1098-, 1987. Carbon-14-labeled
1-isothiocyanatobenzyl-3-methyldiethylene triaminepentaacetic acid
(MX-DTPA) is an exemplary chelating agent for conjugation of
radionucleotide to the antibody. See WO94/11026. The linker may be
a "cleavable linker" facilitating release of a cytotoxic drug in
the cell. For example, an acid-labile linker, peptidase-sensitive
linker, photolabile linker, dimethyl linker or disulfide-containing
linker (Chari et al., Cancer Res., vol. 52, pp. 127-131, 1992; U.S.
Pat. No. 5,208,020) may be used.
[0276] The immunuoconjugates herein expressly contemplate, but are
not limited to conjugates prepared with cross-linker reagents
including, but not limited to, BMPS, EMCS, GMBS, HBVS, LC-SMCC,
MBS, MPBH, SBAP, SIA, SLAB, SMCC, SMPB, SMPH, sulfo-EMCS,
sulfo-GMBS, sulfo-KMUS, sulfo-MBS, sulfo-SIAB, sulfo-SMCC, and
sulfo-SMPB, and SVSB (succinimidyl-(4-vinylsulfone)benzoate) which
are commercially available (e.g., from Pierce Biotechnology, Inc.,
Rockford, Ill., U.S.A).
[0277] An exemplary embodiment of an ADC comprises an antibody or
antibody fragment (Ab) which targets a tumor cell, a drug moiety
(D), and a linker moiety (L) that attaches Ab to D. In some
embodiments, the antibody is attached to the linker moiety (L)
through one or more amino acid residues, such as lysine and/or
cysteine.
[0278] An exemplary ADC has Formula I as Ab-(L-D).sub.p, where p is
1 to about 20. In some embodiments, the number of drug moieties
that can be conjugated to an antibody is limited by the number of
free cysteine residues. In some embodiments, free cysteine residues
are introduced into the antibody amino acid sequence by the methods
described herein. Exemplary ADC of Formula I include, but are not
limited to, antibodies that have 1, 2, 3, or 4 engineered cysteine
amino acids (Lyon et al., Methods in Enzym., vol. 502, pp. 123-138,
2012). In some embodiments, one or more free cysteine residues are
already present in an antibody, without the use of engineering, in
which case the existing free cysteine residues may be used to
conjugate the antibody to a drug. In some embodiments, an antibody
is exposed to reducing conditions prior to conjugation of the
antibody in order to generate one or more free cysteine
residues.
a) Exemplary Linkers
[0279] A "Linker" (L) is a bifunctional or multifunctional moiety
that can be used to link one or more moieties such as drug moieties
(D) to an antibody or antibody fragment (Ab) to form an
immunoconjugate such as an ADC of the Formula I. In some
embodiments, ADCs can be prepared using a Linker having reactive
functionalities for covalently attaching to the drug and to the
antibody. For example, in some embodiments, a cysteine thiol of an
antibody or antibody fragment (Ab) can form a bond with a reactive
functional group of a linker or a drug-linker intermediate to make
an ADC.
[0280] In one aspect, a linker has a functionality that is capable
of reacting with a free cysteine present on an antibody to form a
covalent bond. Nonlimiting exemplary such reactive functionalities
include maleimide, haloacetamides, a-haloacetyl, activated esters
such as succinimide esters, 4-nitrophenyl esters, pentafluorophenyl
esters, tetrafluorophenyl esters, anhydrides, acid chlorides,
sulfonyl chlorides, isocyanates, and isothiocyanates. See, e.g.,
the conjugation method at page 766 of Klussman, et al, Bioconjugate
Chemistry, vol. 15, pp. 765-773, 2004.
[0281] In some embodiments, a linker has a functionality that is
capable of reacting with an electrophilic group present on an
antibody. Exemplary such electrophilic groups include, but are not
limited to, aldehyde and ketone carbonyl groups. In some
embodiments, a heteroatom of the reactive functionality of the
linker can react with an electrophilic group on an antibody and
form a covalent bond to an antibody unit. Nonlimiting exemplary
such reactive functionalities include, but are not limited to,
hydrazide, oxime, amino, hydrazine, thiosemicarbazone, hydrazine
carboxylate, and arylhydrazide.
[0282] A linker may comprise one or more linker components.
Exemplary linker components include 6-maleimidocaproyl ("MC"),
maleimidopropanoyl ("MP"), valine-citrulline ("val-cit" or "vc"),
alanine-phenylalanine ("ala-phe"), p-aminobenzyloxycarbonyl (a
"PAB"), N-Succinimidyl 4-(2-pyridylthio) pentanoate ("SPP"), and
4-(N-maleimidomethyl)cyclohexane-1 carboxylate ("MCC"). Various
linker components are known in the art, some of which are described
below.
[0283] A linker may be a "cleavable linker," facilitating release
of a drug. Nonlimiting exemplary cleavable linkers include
acid-labile linkers (e.g., comprising hydrazone),
protease-sensitive (e.g., peptidase-sensitive) linkers, photolabile
linkers, or disulfide-containing linkers (Chari et al., Cancer
Research, vol. 52, pp. 127-131, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,020).
[0284] In certain embodiments, a linker has the following Formula
II as -A.sub.a-W.sub.w--Y.sub.y--, wherein A is a "stretcher unit",
and a is an integer from 0 to 1; W is an "amino acid unit", and w
is an integer from 0 to 12; Y is a "spacer unit", and y is 0, 1, or
2. An ADC comprising the linker of Formula II has the Formula I(A):
Ab-(A.sub.a-W.sub.w--Y.sub.y-D).sub.p, wherein Ab, D, and p are
defined as above for Formula I. Exemplary embodiments of such
linkers are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,498,298.
[0285] In some embodiments, a linker component comprises a
"stretcher unit" (A) that links an antibody to another linker
component or to a drug moiety. Nonlimiting exemplary stretcher
units are shown below (wherein the wavy line indicates sites of
covalent attachment to an antibody, drug, or additional linker
components):
##STR00001##
[0286] In some embodiments, a linker component comprises an "amino
acid unit" (W). In some such embodiments, the amino acid unit
allows for cleavage of the linker by a protease, thereby
facilitating release of the drug from the immunoconjugate upon
exposure to intracellular proteases, such as lysosomal enzymes
(Doronina et al., Nat. Biotechnol., vol. 21, pp. 778-784, 2003).
Exemplary amino acid units include, but are not limited to,
dipeptides, tripeptides, tetrapeptides, and pentapeptides.
Exemplary dipeptides include, but are not limited to,
valine-citrulline (vc or val-cit), alanine-phenylalanine (af or
ala-phe); phenylalanine-lysine (fk or phe-lys);
phenylalanine-homolysine (phe-homolys); and
N-methyl-valine-citrulline (Me-val-cit). Exemplary tripeptides
include, but are not limited to, glycine-valine-citrulline
(gly-val-cit) and glycine-glycine-glycine (gly-gly-gly). An amino
acid unit may comprise amino acid residues that occur naturally
and/or minor amino acids and/or non-naturally occurring amino acid
analogs, such as citrulline Amino acid units can be designed and
optimized for enzymatic cleavage by a particular enzyme, for
example, a tumor-associated protease, cathepsin B, C and D, or a
plasmin protease.
[0287] Typically, peptide-type linkers can be prepared by forming a
peptide bond between two or more amino acids and/or peptide
fragments. Such peptide bonds can be prepared, for example,
according to a liquid phase synthesis method (e.g., E. Schroder and
K. Lubke (1965) "The Peptides", volume 1, pp 76-136, Academic
Press).
[0288] In some embodiments, a linker component comprises a "spacer
unit" (Y) that links the antibody to a drug moiety, either directly
or through a stretcher unit and/or an amino acid unit. A spacer
unit may be "self-immolative" or a "non-self-immolative." A
"non-self-immolative" spacer unit is one in which part or all of
the spacer unit remains bound to the drug moiety upon cleavage of
the ADC. Examples of non-self-immolative spacer units include, but
are not limited to, a glycine spacer unit and a glycine-glycine
spacer unit. In some embodiments, enzymatic cleavage of an ADC
containing a glycine-glycine spacer unit by a tumor-cell associated
protease results in release of a glycine-glycine-drug moiety from
the remainder of the ADC. In some such embodiments, the
glycine-glycine-drug moiety is subjected to a hydrolysis step in
the tumor cell, thus cleaving the glycine-glycine spacer unit from
the drug moiety.
[0289] A "self-immolative" spacer unit allows for release of the
drug moiety. In certain embodiments, a spacer unit of a linker
comprises a p-aminobenzyl unit. In some such embodiments, a
p-aminobenzyl alcohol is attached to an amino acid unit via an
amide bond, and a carbamate, methylcarbamate, or carbonate is made
between the benzyl alcohol and the drug (Hamann et al. Expert Opin.
Ther. Patents, vol. 15, pp. 1087-1103, 2005). In some embodiments,
the spacer unit comprises p-aminobenzyloxycarbonyl (PAB). In some
embodiments, an ADC comprising a self-immolative linker has the
structure:
##STR00002##
wherein Q is --C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl, --O--(C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl),
-halogen, -nitro, or -cyano; m is an integer ranging from 0 to 4; X
may be one or more additional spacer units or may be absent; and p
ranges from 1 to about 20. In some embodiments, p ranges from 1 to
10, 1 to 7, 1 to 5, or 1 to 4. Nonlimiting exemplary X spacer units
include:
##STR00003##
wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are independently selected from H and
C.sub.1-C.sub.6 alkyl. In some embodiments, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are
each --CH.sub.3.
[0290] Other examples of self-immolative spacers include, but are
not limited to, aromatic compounds that are electronically similar
to the PAB group, such as 2-aminoimidazol-5-methanol derivatives
(U.S. Pat. No. 7,375,078; Hay et al., Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett.,
vol. 9, p. 2237-, 1999) and ortho- or para-aminobenzylacetals. In
some embodiments, spacers can be used that undergo cyclization upon
amide bond hydrolysis, such as substituted and unsubstituted
4-aminobutyric acid amides (Rodrigues et al., Chemistry Biology,
vol. 2, pp. 223-, 1995), appropriately substituted bicyclo[2.2.1]
and bicyclo[2.2.2] ring systems (Storm et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc.,
vol. 94, p. 5815-, 1972) and 2-aminophenylpropionic acid amides
(Amsberry et al, J. Org. Chem., vol. 55, p. 5867, 1990). Linkage of
a drug to the a-carbon of a glycine residue is another example of a
self-immolative spacer that may be useful in ADCs (Kingsbury et
al., J. Med. Chem., vol. 27, p. 144'7, 1984).
[0291] In some embodiments, linker L may be a dendritic type linker
for covalent attachment of more than one drug moiety to an antibody
through a branching, multifunctional linker moiety (Sun et al.
Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, vol. 12, pp.
2213-2215, 2002; Sun et al., Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry,
vol. 11, pp. 1761-1768, 2003). Dendritic linkers can increase the
molar ratio of drug to antibody, i.e. loading, which is related to
the potency of the ADC. Thus, where an antibody bears only one
reactive cysteine thiol group, a multitude of drug moieties may be
attached through a dendritic linker.
[0292] Nonlimiting exemplary linkers are shown below in the context
of an ADC of Formula
##STR00004##
wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are independently selected from H and
C.sub.1-C.sub.6 alkyl. In some embodiments, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are
each --CH.sub.3.
##STR00005##
wherein n is 0 to 12. In some embodiments, n is 2 to 10. In some
embodiments, n is 4 to 8.
[0293] Further nonlimiting exemplary ADCs include the
structures:
##STR00006##
[0294] each R is independently H or C.sub.1-C.sub.6 alkyl; and n is
1 to 12.
[0295] In some embodiments, a linker is substituted with groups
that modulate solubility and/or reactivity. As a nonlimiting
example, a charged substituent such as sulfonate (--SO.sub.3.sup.-)
or ammonium may increase water solubility of the linker reagent and
facilitate the coupling reaction of the linker reagent with the
antibody and/or the drug moiety, or facilitate the coupling
reaction of Ab-L (antibody-linker intermediate) with D, or D-L
(drug-linker intermediate) with Ab, depending on the synthetic
route employed to prepare the ADC. In some embodiments, a portion
of the linker is coupled to the antibody and a portion of the
linker is coupled to the drug, and then the Ab-(linker
portion).sup.a is coupled to drug-(linker portion).sup.b to form
the ADC of Formula I.
[0296] The compounds of the invention expressly contemplate, but
are not limited to, ADCs prepared with the following linker
reagents: bis-maleimido-trioxyethylene glycol (BMPEO),
N-(.beta.-maleimidopropyloxy)-N-hydroxy succinimide ester (BMPS),
N-(c-maleimidocaproyloxy) succinimide ester (EMCS),
N-[.gamma.-maleimidobutyryloxy]succinimide ester (GMBS),
1,6-hexane-bis-vinylsulfone (HBVS), succinimidyl
4-(N-maleimidomethyl)cyclohexane-1-carboxy-(6-amidocaproate)
(LC-SMCC), m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester (MBS),
4-(4-N-Maleimidophenyl)butyric acid hydrazide (MPBH), succinimidyl
3-(bromoacetamido)propionate (SBAP), succinimidyl iodoacetate
(SIA), succinimidyl (4-iodoacetyl)aminobenzoate (SIAB),
N-succinimidyl-3-(2-pyridyldithio) propionate (SPDP),
N-succinimidyl-4-(2-pyridylthio)pentanoate (SPP), succinimidyl
4-(N-maleimidomethyl)cyclohexane-1-carboxylate (SMCC), succinimidyl
4-(p-maleimidophenyl)butyrate (SMPB), succinimidyl
6-[(beta-maleimidopropionamido)hexanoate] (SMPH), iminothiolane
(IT), sulfo-EMCS, sulfo-GMBS, sulfo-KMUS, sulfo-MBS, sulfo-SIAB,
sulfo-SMCC, and sulfo-SMPB, and
succinimidyl-(4-vinylsulfone)benzoate (SVSB), and including
bis-maleimide reagents: dithiobismaleimidoethane (DTME),
1,4-Bismaleimidobutane (BMB), 1,4 Bismaleimidyl-2,3-dihydroxybutane
(BMDB), bismaleimidohexane (BMH), bismaleimidoethane (BMOE),
BM(PEG).sub.2 (shown below), and BM(PEG).sub.3 (shown below);
bifunctional derivatives of imidoesters (such as dimethyl
adipimidate HCl), active esters (such as disuccinimidyl suberate),
aldehydes (such as glutaraldehyde), bis-azido compounds (such as
bis (p-azidobenzoyl) hexanediamine), bis-diazonium derivatives
(such as bis-(p-diazoniumbenzoyl)-ethylenediamine), diisocyanates
(such as toluene 2,6-diisocyanate), and bis-active fluorine
compounds (such as 1,5-difluoro-2,4-dinitrobenzene). In some
embodiments, bis-maleimide reagents allow the attachment of the
thiol group of a cysteine in the antibody to a thiol-containing
drug moiety, linker, or linker-drug intermediate. Other functional
groups that are reactive with thiol groups include, but are not
limited to, iodoacetamide, bromoacetamide, vinyl pyridine,
disulfide, pyridyl disulfide, isocyanate, and isothiocyanate.
[0297] Certain useful linker reagents can be obtained from various
commercial sources, such as Pierce Biotechnology, Inc. (Rockford,
Ill.), Molecular Biosciences Inc. (Boulder, Colo.), or synthesized
in accordance with procedures described in the art; for example, in
Toki et al., J. Org. Chem., vol. 67, pp. 1866-1872, 2002;
Dubowchik, et al., Tetrahedron Letters, vol. 38, pp. 5257-60, 1997;
Walker, I Org. Chem., vol. 60, pp. 5352-5355, 1995; Frisch et al.,
Bioconjugate Chem., vol. 7, pp. 180-186, 1995; U.S. Pat. No.
6,214,345; WO 02/088172; US2003130189; US2003096743; WO 03/026577;
WO 03/043583; and WO 04/032828.
[0298] Carbon-14-labeled 1-isothiocyanatobenzyl-3-methyl di
ethylene triaminepentaacetic acid (MX-DTPA) is an exemplary
chelating agent for conjugation of radionucleotide to the antibody.
See, e.g., WO94/11026.
b) Exemplary Drug Moieties
1) Maytansine and Maytansinoids
[0299] In some embodiments, an immunoconjugate comprises an
antibody conjugated to one or more maytansinoid molecules.
Maytansinoids are derivatives of maytansine, and are mitototic
inhibitors which act by inhibiting tubulin polymerization.
Maytansine was first isolated from the east African shrub Maytenus
serrata (U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,111). Subsequently, it was discovered
that certain microbes also produce maytansinoids, such as
maytansinol and C-3 maytansinol esters (U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,042).
Synthetic maytansinoids are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 4,137,230; 4,248,870; 4,256,746; 4,260,608; 4,265,814;
4,294,757; 4,307,016; 4,308,268; 4,308,269; 4,309,428; 4,313,946;
4,315,929; 4,317,821; 4,322,348; 4,331,598; 4,361,650; 4,364,866;
4,424,219; 4,450,254; 4,362,663; and 4,371,533.
[0300] Maytansinoid drug moieties are attractive drug moieties in
antibody-drug conjugates because they are: (i) relatively
accessible to prepare by fermentation or chemical modification or
derivatization of fermentation products, (ii) amenable to
derivatization with functional groups suitable for conjugation
through non-disulfide linkers to antibodies, (iii) stable in
plasma, and (iv) effective against a variety of tumor cell
lines.
[0301] Certain maytansinoids suitable for use as maytansinoid drug
moieties are known in the art and can be isolated from natural
sources according to known methods or produced using genetic
engineering techniques (see, e.g., Yu et al., PNAS, vol. 99, pp.
7968-7973, 2002). Maytansinoids may also be prepared synthetically
according to known methods.
[0302] Exemplary maytansinoid drug moieties include, but are not
limited to, those having a modified aromatic ring, such as:
C-19-dechloro (U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,746) (prepared, for example, by
lithium aluminum hydride reduction of ansamytocin P2); C-20-hydroxy
(or C-20-demethyl)+/-C-19-dechloro (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,361,650 and
4,307,016) (prepared, for example, by demethylation using
Streptomyces or Actinomyces or dechlorination using LAH); and
C-20-demethoxy, C-20-acyloxy (--OCOR), +/-dechloro (U.S. Pat. No.
4,294,757) (prepared, for example, by acylation using acyl
chlorides), and those having modifications at other positions of
the aromatic ring.
[0303] Exemplary maytansinoid drug moieties also include those
having modifications such as: C-9-SH (U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,219)
(prepared, for example, by the reaction of maytansinol with
H.sub.2S or P.sub.2S.sub.5);
C-14-alkoxymethyl(demethoxy/CH.sub.2OR)(U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,598);
C-14-hydroxymethyl or acyloxymethyl (CH.sub.2OH or CH.sub.2OAc)
(U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,254) (prepared, for example, from Nocardia);
C-15-hydroxy/acyloxy (U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,866) (prepared, for
example, by the conversion of maytansinol by Streptomyces);
C-15-methoxy (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,313,946 and 4,315,929) (for example,
isolated from Trewia nudlflora); C-18-N-demethyl (U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,362,663 and 4,322,348) (prepared, for example, by the
demethylation of maytansinol by Streptomyces); and 4,5-deoxy (U.S.
Pat. No. 4,371,533) (prepared, for example, by the titanium
trichloride/LAH reduction of maytansinol).
[0304] Many positions on maytansinoid compounds are useful as the
linkage position. For example, an ester linkage may be formed by
reaction with a hydroxyl group using conventional coupling
techniques. In some embodiments, the reaction may occur at the C-3
position having a hydroxyl group, the C-14 position modified with
hydroxymethyl, the C-15 position modified with a hydroxyl group,
and the C-20 position having a hydroxyl group. In some embodiments,
the linkage is formed at the C-3 position of maytansinol or a
maytansinol analogue.
[0305] Maytansinoid drug moieties include those having the
structure:
##STR00007##
where the wavy line indicates the covalent attachment of the sulfur
atom of the maytansinoid drug moiety to a linker of an ADC. Each R
may independently be H or a C.sub.1-C.sub.6 alkyl. The alkylene
chain attaching the amide group to the sulfur atom may be methanyl,
ethanyl, or propyl, i.e., m is 1, 2, or 3 (U.S. Pat. No. 633,410;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,020; Chari et al., Cancer Res., vol. 52, pp.
127-131, 1992; Liu et al., Proc. Nall. Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 93, pp.
8618-8623, 1996).
[0306] All stereoisomers of the maytansinoid drug moiety are
contemplated for the ADC of the invention, i.e. any combination of
R and S configurations at the chiral carbons (U.S. Pat. Nos.
7,276,497; 6,913,748; 6,441,163; U.S. Pat. No. 633,410 (RE39151);
U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,020; Widdison et al (2006) J. Med. Chem.
49:4392-4408. In some embodiments, the maytansinoid drug moiety has
the following stereochemistry:
##STR00008##
[0307] Exemplary embodiments of maytansinoid drug moieties include,
but are not limited to, DM1; DM3; and DM4, having the
structures:
##STR00009##
wherein the wavy line indicates the covalent attachment of the
sulfur atom of the drug to a linker (L) of an antibody-drug
conjugate.
[0308] Exemplary antibody-drug conjugates where DM1 is linked
through a BMPEO linker to a thiol group of the antibody have the
structure and abbreviation:
##STR00010##
where Ab is antibody; n is 0, 1, or 2; and p is 1 to about 20. In
some embodiments, p is 1 to 10, p is 1 to 7, p is 1 to 5, or p is 1
to 4.
[0309] Immunoconjugates containing maytansinoids, methods of making
the same, and their therapeutic use are disclosed, for example, in
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,208,020 and 5,416,064; US 2005/0276812 A1; and
European Patent EP 0 425 235 B1. See also Liu et al., Proc. Natl.
Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 93, pp. 8618-8623, 1996; and Chari et al.,
Cancer Research, vol. 52, pp. 127-131, 1992.
[0310] In some embodiments, antibody-maytansinoid conjugates may be
prepared by chemically linking an antibody to a maytansinoid
molecule without significantly diminishing the biological activity
of either the antibody or the maytansinoid molecule. See, e.g.,
U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,020. In some embodiments, ADC with an average
of 3-4 maytansinoid molecules conjugated per antibody molecule has
shown efficacy in enhancing cytotoxicity of target cells without
negatively affecting the function or solubility of the antibody. In
some instances, even one molecule of toxin/antibody is expected to
enhance cytotoxicity over the use of naked antibody.
[0311] Exemplary linking groups for making antibody-maytansinoid
conjugates include, for example, those described herein and those
disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,020; EP Patent 0 425 235 B1; Chari
et al., Cancer Research, vol. 52, pp. 127-131, 1992; US
2005/0276812 A1; and US 2005/016993 A1.
2) Auristatins and Dolastatins
[0312] Drug moieties include dolastatins, auristatins, and analogs
and derivatives thereof (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,635,483; 5,780,588;
5,767,237; 6,124,431). Auristatins are derivatives of the marine
mollusk compound dolastatin-10. While not intending to be bound by
any particular theory, dolastatins and auristatins have been shown
to interfere with microtubule dynamics, GTP hydrolysis, and nuclear
and cellular division (Woyke et al., Antimicrob. Agents and
Chemother., vol. 45, pp. 3580-3584, 2001) and have anticancer (U.S.
Pat. No. 5,663,149) and antifungal activity (Pettit et al.,
Antimicrob. Agents Chemother., vol. 42, pp. 2961-2965, 1998). The
dolastatin/auristatin drug moiety may be attached to the antibody
through the N (amino) terminus or the C (carboxyl) terminus of the
peptidic drug moiety (WO 02/088172; Doronina et al., Nature
Biotechnology, vol. 21, pp. 778-784, 2003; Francisco et al., Blood,
vol. 102, pp. 1458-1465, 2003).
[0313] Exemplary auristatin embodiments include the N-terminus
linked monomethylauristatin drug moieties D.sub.E and D.sub.F,
disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,498,298 and 7,659,241:
##STR00011##
wherein the wavy line of D.sub.E and D.sub.F indicates the covalent
attachment site to an antibody or antibody-linker component, and
independently at each location: [0314] R.sup.2 is selected from H
and C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl; [0315] R.sup.3 is selected from H,
C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl, C.sub.3-C.sub.8 carbocycle, aryl,
C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl-aryl, C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl-(C.sub.3-C.sub.8
carbocycle), C.sub.3-C.sub.8heterocycle and C.sub.1-C.sub.8
alkyl-(C.sub.3-C.sub.8 heterocycle); [0316] R.sup.4 is selected
from H, C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl, C.sub.3-C.sub.8 carbocycle, aryl,
C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl-aryl, C.sub.r C.sub.8 alkyl-(C.sub.3-C.sub.8
carbocycle), C.sub.3-C.sub.8heterocycle and C.sub.1-C.sub.8
alkyl-(C.sub.3-C.sub.8 heterocycle); [0317] R.sup.5 is selected
from H and methyl; [0318] or R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 jointly form a
carbocyclic ring and have the formula
--(CR.sup.aR.sup.b).sub.n--wherein R.sup.a and R.sup.b are
independently selected from H, C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl and
C.sub.3-C.sub.8 carbocycle and n is selected from 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6;
[0319] R.sup.6 is selected from H and C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl; [0320]
R.sup.7 is selected from H, C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl, C.sub.3-C.sub.8
carbocycle, aryl, C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl-aryl, C.sub.r C.sub.8
alkyl-(C.sub.3-C.sub.8 carbocycle), C.sub.3-C.sub.8heterocycle and
C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl-(C.sub.3-C.sub.8 heterocycle); each R.sup.8
is independently selected from H, OH, C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl,
C.sub.3-C.sub.8 carbocycle and O--(C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl); [0321]
R.sup.9 is selected from H and C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl; [0322]
R.sup.10 is selected from aryl or C.sub.3-C.sub.8 heterocycle;
[0323] Z is O, S, NH, or NR.sup.12, wherein R.sup.12 is
C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl; [0324] R.sup.11 is selected from H,
C.sub.1-C.sub.20 alkyl, aryl, C.sub.3-C.sub.8 heterocycle,
--(R.sup.13O).sub.m--R.sup.14, or
--(R.sup.13O).sub.m--CH(R.sup.15).sub.2; [0325] m is an integer
ranging from 1-1000; [0326] R.sup.13 is C.sub.2-C.sub.8 alkyl;
[0327] R.sup.14 is H or C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl; [0328] each
occurrence of e is independently H, COOH,
--(CH.sub.2).sub.n--N(R.sup.16).sub.2,
--(CH.sub.2).sub.n--SO.sub.3H, or
--(CH.sub.2).sub.n--SO.sub.3--C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl; [0329] each
occurrence of e is independently H, C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl, or
--(CH.sub.2).sub.n--COOH; [0330] R.sup.18 is selected from
--C(R.sup.8).sub.2--C(R.sup.8).sub.2-aryl,
--C(R.sup.8).sub.2--C(R.sup.8).sub.2--(C.sub.3-C.sub.5
heterocycle), and
--C(R.sup.8).sub.2--C(R.sup.8).sub.2--(C.sub.3-C.sub.8 carbocycle);
and [0331] n is an integer ranging from 0 to 6.
[0332] In one embodiment, R.sup.3, R.sup.4 and R.sup.7 are
independently isopropyl or sec-butyl and R.sup.5 is --H or methyl.
In an exemplary embodiment, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are each isopropyl,
R.sup.5 is --H, and R.sup.7 is sec-butyl.
[0333] In yet another embodiment, R.sup.2 and R.sup.6 are each
methyl, and R.sup.9 is --H.
[0334] In still another embodiment, each occurrence of R.sup.8 is
--OCH.sub.3.
[0335] In an exemplary embodiment, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are each
isopropyl, R.sup.2 and R.sup.6 are each methyl, R.sup.5 is --H,
R.sup.7 is sec-butyl, each occurrence of R.sup.8 is --OCH.sub.3,
and R.sup.9 is --H.
[0336] In one embodiment, Z is --O-- or --NH--.
[0337] In one embodiment, R.sup.10 is aryl.
[0338] In an exemplary embodiment, R.sup.10 is -phenyl.
[0339] In an exemplary embodiment, when Z is --O--, R.sup.11 is
--H, methyl or t-butyl.
[0340] In one embodiment, when Z is --NH, R.sup.11 is
--CH(R.sup.15).sub.2, wherein R.sup.15 is
--(CH.sub.2).sub.n--N(R.sup.16).sub.2 and, R.sup.16 is
--C.sub.1-C.sub.8 alkyl or --(CH.sub.2).sub.n--COOH.
[0341] In another embodiment, when Z is --NH, R.sup.11 is
--CH(R.sup.15).sub.2, wherein R.sup.15 is
--(CH.sub.2).sub.n--SO.sub.3H.
[0342] An exemplary auristatin embodiment of formula D.sub.E is
MMAE, wherein the wavy line indicates the covalent attachment to a
linker (L) of an antibody-drug conjugate:
##STR00012##
[0343] An exemplary auristatin embodiment of formula D.sub.E is
MMAF, wherein the wavy line indicates the covalent attachment to a
linker (L) of an antibody-drug conjugate:
##STR00013##
[0344] Other exemplary embodiments include monomethylvaline
compounds having phenylalanine carboxy modifications at the
C-terminus of the pentapeptide auristatin drug moiety (WO
2007/008848) and monomethylvaline compounds having phenylalanine
sidechain modifications at the C-terminus of the pentapeptide
auristatin drug moiety (WO 2007/008603).
[0345] Nonlimiting exemplary embodiments of ADCs of Formula I
comprising MMAF and various linker components further include
Ab-MC-PAB-MMAF and Ab-PAB-MMAF. Immunoconjugates comprising MMAF
attached to an antibody by a linker that is not proteolytically
cleavable have been shown to possess activity comparable to
immunoconjugates comprising MMAF attached to an antibody by a
proteolytically cleavable linker (Doronina et al., Bioconjugate
Chem., vol. 17, pp. 114-124, 2006). In some such embodiments, drug
release is believed to be effected by antibody degradation in the
cell.
[0346] Typically, peptide-based drug moieties can be prepared by
forming a peptide bond between two or more amino acids and/or
peptide fragments. Such peptide bonds can be prepared, for example,
according to a liquid phase synthesis method (see, e.g., E.
Schroder and K. Lubke, "The Peptides", volume 1, pp 76-136, 1965,
Academic Press). Auristatin/dolastatin drug moieties may, in some
embodiments, be prepared according to the methods of: U.S. Pat.
Nos. 7,498,298; 5,635,483; 5,780,588; Pettit et al., J. Am. Chem.
Soc., vol. 111, pp. 5463-5465, 1998; Pettit et al., Anti-Cancer
Drug Design, vol. 13, pp. 243-277, 1998; Pettit et al., Synthesis,
vol. 6, pp. 719-725, 1996; Pettit et al., J. Chem. Soc. Perkin
Trans. vol. 15, pp. 859-863, 1996; and Doronina, Nat. Biotechnol.,
vol. 21, pp. 778-784, 2003.
[0347] In some embodiments, auristatin/dolastatin drug moieties of
formulas D.sub.E such as MMAE, and D.sub.E, such as MMAF, and
drug-linker intermediates and derivatives thereof, such as MC-MMAF,
MC-MMAE, MC-vc-PAB-MMAF, and MC-vc-PAB-MMAE, may be prepared using
methods described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,498,298; Doronina et al.,
Bioconjugate Chem., vol. 17, pp. 114-124, 2006; and Doronina et
al., Nat. Biotech., vol. 21, pp. 778-784, 2003 and then conjugated
to an antibody of interest.
3) Calicheamicin
[0348] In some embodiments, the immunoconjugate comprises an
antibody or antibody fragment conjugated to one or more
calicheamicin molecules. The calicheamicin family of antibiotics,
and analogues thereof, are capable of producing double-stranded DNA
breaks at sub-picomolar concentrations (Hinman et al., Cancer
Research, vol. 53, pp. 3336-3342, 1993; Lode et al., Cancer
Research, vol. 58, pp. 2925-2928, 1998). Calicheamicin has
intracellular sites of action but, in certain instances, does not
readily cross the plasma membrane. Therefore, cellular uptake of
these agents through antibody-mediated internalization may, in some
embodiments, greatly enhance their cytotoxic effects. Nonlimiting
exemplary methods of preparing antibody-drug conjugates with a
calicheamicin drug moiety are described, for example, in U.S. Pat.
Nos. 5,712,374; 5,714,586; 5,739,116; and 5,767,285.
4) Pyrrolobenzodiazepines
[0349] In some embodiments, an ADC comprises a
pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD). In some embodiments, PDB dimers
recognize and bind to specific DNA sequences. The natural product
anthramycin, a PBD, was first reported in 1965 (Leimgruber et al.,
J. Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 87, pp. 5793-5795, 1965; Leimgruber et al.,
J. Am. Chem. Soc., vol. 87, pp. 5791-5793, 1965). Since then, a
number of PBDs, both naturally-occurring and analogues, have been
reported (Thurston et al., Chem. Rev. vol. 1994, pp. 433-465 1994,
including dimers of the tricyclic PBD scaffold (U.S. Pat. Nos.
6,884,799; 7,049,311; 7,067,511; 7,265,105; 7,511,032; 7,528,126;
7,557,099). Without intending to be bound by any particular theory,
it is believed that the dimer structure imparts the appropriate
three-dimensional shape for isohelicity with the minor groove of
B-form DNA, leading to a snug fit at the binding site (Kohn, In
Antibiotics III. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 3-11 (1975); Hurley
and Needham-VanDevanter, Acc. Chem. Res., vol. 19, pp. 230-237,
1986). Dimeric PBD compounds bearing C2 aryl substituents have been
shown to be useful as cytotoxic agents (Hartley et al Cancer Res.,
vol. 70, pp. 6849-6858, 2010; Antonow, J. Med. Chem. vol. 53, pp.
2927-2941, 2010; Howard et al., Bioorganic and Med. Chem. Letters,
vol. 19, pp. 6463-6466, 2009).
[0350] PBD dimers have been conjugated to antibodies and the
resulting ADC shown to have anti-cancer properties. Nonlimiting
exemplary linkage sites on the PBD dimer include the five-membered
pyrrolo ring, the tether between the PBD units, and the N10-C11
imine group (WO 2009/016516; US 2009/304710; US 2010/047257; US
2009/036431; US 2011/0256157; WO 2011/130598).
[0351] Nonlimiting exemplary PBD dimer components of ADCs are
of:
##STR00014## [0352] and salts and solvates thereof, wherein: [0353]
the wavy line indicates the covalent attachment site to the linker;
[0354] the dotted lines indicate the optional presence of a double
bond between C1 and C2 or C2 and C3; [0355] R.sup.2 is
independently selected from H, OH, .dbd.O, .dbd.CH.sub.2, CN, R,
OR, .dbd.CH--R.sup.D, .dbd.C(R.sup.D).sub.2, O--SO.sub.2--R,
CO.sub.2R and COR, and optionally further selected from halo or
dihalo, wherein R.sup.D is independently selected from R,
CO.sub.2R, COR, CHO, CO.sub.2H, and halo; [0356] R.sup.6 and
R.sup.9 are independently selected from H, R, OH, OR, SH, SR,
NH.sub.2, NHR, NRR', NO.sub.2, Me.sub.3Sn and halo; [0357] R.sup.7
is independently selected from H, R, OH, OR, SH, SR, NH.sub.2, NHR,
NRR', NO.sub.2, Me.sub.3Sn and halo; [0358] Q is independently
selected from 0, S and NH; [0359] R.sup.11 is either H, or R or,
where Q is O, SO.sub.3M, where M is a metal cation; [0360] R and R'
are each independently selected from optionally substituted
C.sub.1-8 alkyl, C.sub.1-12 alkyl, C.sub.3-8 heterocyclyl,
C.sub.3-20 heterocycle, and C.sub.5-20 aryl groups, and optionally
in relation to the group NRR', R and R' together with the nitrogen
atom to which they are attached form an optionally substituted 4-,
5-, 6- or 7-membered heterocyclic ring; [0361] R.sup.12, R.sup.16,
R.sup.19 and R.sup.17 are as defined for R.sup.2, R.sup.6, R.sup.9
and R.sup.7 respectively; [0362] R'' is a C.sub.3-12 alkylene
group, which chain may be interrupted by one or more heteroatoms,
e.g. O, S, N(H), NMe and/or aromatic rings, e.g. benzene or
pyridine, which rings are optionally substituted; and [0363] X and
X' are independently selected from O, S and N(H).
[0364] In some embodiments, R and R' are each independently
selected from optionally substituted C.sub.1-12 alkyl,
C.sub.3-20heterocycle, and C.sub.5-20 aryl groups, and optionally
in relation to the group NRR', R and R' together with the nitrogen
atom to which they are attached form an optionally substituted 4-,
5-, 6- or 7-membered heterocyclic ring. In some embodiments,
R.sup.9 and R.sup.19 are H. In some embodiments, R.sup.6 and
R.sup.16 are H.
[0365] In some embodiments, R.sup.7 are R.sup.17 are both
OR.sup.7A, where R.sup.7A is optionally substituted C.sub.1-4
alkyl. In some embodiments, R.sup.7A is Me. In some embodiments,
R.sup.7A is Ch.sub.2Ph, where Ph is a phenyl group. In some
embodiments, X is O. In some embodiments, R.sup.11 is H. In some
embodiments, there is a double bond between C.sub.2 and C3 in each
monomer unit.
[0366] In some embodiments, R.sup.2 and R.sup.12 are independently
selected from H and R. In some embodiments, R.sup.2 and R.sup.12are
independently R. In some embodiments, R.sup.2 and R.sup.12 are
independently optionally substituted C.sub.5-20 aryl or
C.sub.5-7aryl or C.sub.8-10 aryl. In some embodiments, R.sup.2 and
R.sup.12 are independently optionally substituted phenyl, thienyl,
napthyl, pyridyl, quinolinyl, or isoquinolinyl. In some
embodiments, R.sup.2 and R.sup.12 are independently selected from
.dbd.O, .dbd.CH.sub.2, =CH--R.sup.D, and .dbd.C(R.sup.D).sub.2. In
some embodiments, R.sup.2 and R.sup.12 each=CH.sub.2. In some
embodiments, R.sup.2 and R.sup.12 are each H. In some embodiments,
R.sup.2 and R.sup.12 are each .dbd.O. In some embodiments, R.sup.2
and R.sup.12 are each .dbd.CF.sub.2. In some embodiments, R.sup.2
and/or R.sup.12 are independently .dbd.C(R.sup.D).sub.2. In some
embodiments, R.sup.2 and/or R.sup.12are independently
.dbd.CH--R.sup.D.
[0367] In some embodiments, when R.sup.2 and/or R.sup.12 is
=CH--R.sup.D, each group may independently have either
configuration shown below:
##STR00015##
In some embodiments, a .dbd.CH--R.sup.D is in configuration (I). In
some embodiments, R'' is a C3 alkylene group or a C.sub.5 alkylene
group.
[0368] The linkers of PBD dimer-val-cit-PAB-Ab and the PBD
dimer-Phe-Lys-PAB-Ab are protease cleavable, while the linker of
PBD dimer-maleimide-acetal is acid-labile.
[0369] PBD dimers and ADCs comprising PBD dimers may be prepared
according to methods known in the art. See, e.g., WO 2009/016516;
US 2009/304710; US 2010/047257; US 2009/036431; US 2011/0256157; WO
2011/130598.
5) Anthracyclines
[0370] In some embodiments, an ADC may comprise anthracycline.
Anthracyclines are antibiotic compounds that exhibit cytotoxic
activity. While not intending to be bound by any particular theory,
studies have indicated that anthracyclines may operate to kill
cells by a number of different mechanisms, including: 1)
intercalation of the drug molecules into the DNA of the cell
thereby inhibiting DNA-dependent nucleic acid synthesis; 2)
production by the drug of free radicals which then react with
cellular macromolecules to cause damage to the cells, and/or 3)
interactions of the drug molecules with the cell membrane (see,
e.g., C. Peterson et al., "Transport And Storage Of Anthracycline
In Experimental Systems And Human Leukemia" in Anthracycline
Antibiotics In Cancer Therapy; N. R. Bachur, "Free Radical Damage"
id. at pp. 97-102). Because of their cytotoxic potential
anthracyclines have been used in the treatment of numerous cancers
such as leukemia, breast carcinoma, lung carcinoma, ovarian
adenocarcinoma and sarcomas (see e.g., P. H-Wiernik, in
Anthracycline: Current Status And New Developments, p. 11).
[0371] Nonlimiting exemplary anthracyclines include doxorubicin,
epirubicin, idarubicin, daunomycin, nemorubicin, and derivatives
thereof. Immunoconjugates and prodrugs of daunorubicin and
doxorubicin have been prepared and studied (Kratz et al., Current
Med. Chem., vol. 13, pp. 477-523, 2006; Jeffrey et al., Bioorganic
& Med. Chem. Letters, vol. 16, pp. 358-362. 1996; Torgov et
al., Bioconj. Chem., vol. 16, pp. 717-721, 2005; Nagy et al., Proc.
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, vol. 97, pp. 829-834, 2000; Dubowchik et al.,
Bioorg. & Med. Chem. Letters, vol. 12, pp. 1529-1532, 2002;
King et al., J. Med. Chem., vol. 45, pp. 4336-4343, 2002; EP
0328147; U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,579). The antibody-drug conjugate
BR96-doxorubicin reacts specifically with the tumor-associated
antigen Lewis-Y and has been evaluated in phase I and II studies
(Saleh et al., J. Clin. Oncology, vol. 18, pp. 2282-2292, 2000;
Ajani et al., Cancer Jour., vol. 6, pp. 78-81, 2000; Tolcher et
al., J. Clin. Oncology, vol. 17, pp. 478-484, 1999).
[0372] PNU-159682 is a potent metabolite (or derivative) of
nemorubicin (Quintieri et al., Clinical Cancer Research, vol. 11,
pp. 1608-1617, 2005). Nemorubicin is a semisynthetic analog of
doxorubicin with a 2-methoxymorpholino group on the glycoside amino
of doxorubicin and has been under clinical evaluation (Grandi et
al. Cancer Treat. Rev. vol. 17, pp. 133-138, 1990; Ripamonti et al.
Brit. J. Cancer, vol. 65, pp. 703-707, 1992), including phase
II/III trials for hepatocellular carcinoma (Sun et al., Proceedings
of the American Society for Clinical Oncology, vol. 22, Abs1448,
2003; Quintieri, Proceedings of the American Association of Cancer
Research, vol. 44:1 st Ed, Abs 4649, 2003; Pacciarini et al., Jour.
Clin. Oncology, vol. 24, p. 14116, 2006).
[0373] Anthracyclines, including PNU-159682, may be conjugated to
antibodies through several linkage sites and a variety of linkers
(US 2011/0076287; WO2009/099741; US 2010/0034837; WO 2010/009124),
including the linkers described herein.
[0374] The linker of PNU-159682 maleimide acetal-Ab is acid-labile,
while the linkers of PNU-159682-val-cit-PAB-Ab,
PNU-159682-val-cit-PAB-spacer-Ab, and
PNU-159682-val-cit-PAB-spacer(R.sup.1R.sup.2)-Ab are protease
cleavable.
6) Other Drug Moieties
[0375] Drug moieties also include geldanamycin (Mandler et al., J.
Nat. Cancer Inst., vol. 92, pp. 1573-1581, 2000; Mandler et al.,
Bioorganic & Med. Chem. Letters, vol. 10, pp. 1025-1028, 2000;
Mandler et al., Bioconjugate Chem., vol. 13, pp. 786-791, 2002);
and enzymatically active toxins and fragments thereof, including,
but not limited to, diphtheria A chain, nonbinding active fragments
of diphtheria toxin, exotoxin A chain (from Pseudomonas
aeruginosa), ricin A chain, abrin A chain, modeccin A chain,
alpha-sarcin, Aleurites fordii proteins, dianthin proteins,
Phytolaca americana proteins (PAPI, PAPII, and PAP-S), Momordica
charantia inhibitor, curcin, crotin, Sapaonaria officinalis
inhibitor, gelonin, mitogellin, restrictocin, phenomycin, enomycin
and the tricothecenes. See, e.g., WO 93/21232.
[0376] Drug moieties also include compounds with nucleolytic
activity (e.g., a ribonuclease or a DNA endonuclease).
[0377] In certain embodiments, an immunoconjugate may comprise a
highly radioactive atom. A variety of radioactive isotopes are
available for the production of radioconjugated antibodies.
Examples include At.sup.211, I.sup.131, I.sup.125, Y.sup.90,
Re.sup.186, Re.sup.188, Sm.sup.153, Bi.sup.212, P.sup.32,
Pb.sup.212 and radioactive isotopes of Lu. In some embodiments,
when an immunoconjugate is used for detection, it may comprise a
radioactive atom for scintigraphic studies, for example Tc.sup.99
or 1.sup.123, or a spin label for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
imaging (also known as magnetic resonance imaging, MRI), such as
zirconium-89, iodine-123, iodine-131, indium-111, fluorine-19,
carbon-13, nitrogen-15, oxygen-17, gadolinium, manganese or iron.
Zirconium-89 may be complexed to various metal chelating agents and
conjugated to antibodies, e.g., for PET imaging (WO
2011/056983).
[0378] The radio- or other labels may be incorporated in the
immunoconjugate in known ways. For example, a peptide may be
biosynthesized or chemically synthesized using suitable amino acid
precursors comprising, for example, one or more fluorine-19 atoms
in place of one or more hydrogens. In some embodiments, labels such
as Tc.sup.99, I.sup.123, Re.sup.186, Re.sup.188 and In.sup.111 can
be attached via a cysteine residue in the antibody. In some
embodiments, yttrium-90 can be attached via a lysine residue of the
antibody. In some embodiments, the IODOGEN method (Fraker et al.,
Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., vol. 80, pp. 49-57, 1978) can be
used to incorporate iodine-123. "Monoclonal Antibodies in
Immunoscintigraphy" (Chatal, CRC Press 1989) describes certain
other methods.
[0379] In certain embodiments, an immunoconjugate may comprise an
antibody conjugated to a prodrug-activating enzyme. In some such
embodiments, a prodrug-activating enzyme converts a prodrug (e.g.,
a peptidyl chemotherapeutic agent, see WO 81/01145) to an active
drug, such as an anti-cancer drug. Such immunoconjugates are
useful, in some embodiments, in antibody-dependent enzyme-mediated
prodrug therapy ("ADEPT"). Enzymes that may be conjugated to an
antibody include, but are not limited to, alkaline phosphatases,
which are useful for converting phosphate-containing prodrugs into
free drugs; arylsulfatases, which are useful for converting
sulfate-containing prodrugs into free drugs; cytosine deaminase,
which is useful for converting non-toxic 5-fluorocytosine into the
anti-cancer drug, 5-fluorouracil; proteases, such as Serratia
protease, thermolysis, subtilisin, carboxypeptidases and cathepsins
(such as cathepsins B and L), which are useful for converting
peptide-containing prodrugs into free drugs;
D-alanylcarboxypeptidases, which are useful for converting prodrugs
that contain D-amino acid substituents; carbohydrate-cleaving
enzymes such as .beta.-galactosidase and neuraminidase, which are
useful for converting glycosylated prodrugs into free drugs;
.beta.-lactamase, which is useful for converting drugs derivatized
with .beta.-lactams into free drugs; and penicillin amidases, such
as penicillin V amidase and penicillin G amidase, which are useful
for converting drugs derivatized at their amine nitrogens with
phenoxyacetyl or phenylacetyl groups, respectively, into free
drugs. In some embodiments, enzymes may be covalently bound to
antibodies by recombinant DNA techniques well known in the art.
See, e.g., Neuberger et al., Nature, vol. 312, pp. 604-608,
1984.
c) Drug Loading
[0380] Drug loading is represented by p, the average number of drug
moieties per antibody in a molecule of Formula I. Drug loading may
range from 1 to 20 drug moieties (D) per antibody. ADCs of Formula
I include collections of antibodies conjugated with a range of drug
moieties, from 1 to 20. The average number of drug moieties per
antibody use in the preparation of ADCs from conjugation reactions
may be characterized by conventional means such as mass
spectroscopy, ELISA assay, and HPLC. The quantitative distribution
of ADCs in terms of p may also be determined. In some instances,
separation, purification, and characterization of homogeneous ADCs
where p is a certain value from ADCs with other drug loadings may
be achieved by means such as reverse phase HPLC or
electrophoresis.
[0381] For some antibody-drug conjugates, p may be limited by the
number of attachment sites on the antibody. For example, where the
attachment is a cysteine thiol, as in certain exemplary embodiments
above, an antibody may have only one or several cysteine thiol
groups, or may have only one or several sufficiently reactive thiol
groups through which a linker may be attached. In certain
embodiments, higher drug loading, e.g. p>5, may cause
aggregation, insolubility, toxicity, or loss of cellular
permeability of certain antibody-drug conjugates. In certain
embodiments, the average drug loading for an ADC ranges from 1 to
about 8; from about 2 to about 6; or from about 3 to about 5.
Indeed, it has been shown that for certain ADCs, the optimal ratio
of drug moieties per antibody may be less than 8, and may be about
2 to about 5 (U.S. Pat. No. 7,498,298).
[0382] In certain embodiments, fewer than the theoretical maximum
of drug moieties are conjugated to an antibody during a conjugation
reaction. An antibody may contain, for example, lysine residues
that do not react with the drug-linker intermediate or linker
reagent, as discussed below. Generally, antibodies do not contain
many free and reactive cysteine thiol groups which may be linked to
a drug moiety; indeed most cysteine thiol residues in antibodies
exist as disulfide bridges. In certain embodiments, an antibody may
be reduced with a reducing agent such as dithiothreitol (DTT) or
tricarbonylethylphosphine (TCEP), under partial or total reducing
conditions, to generate reactive cysteine thiol groups. In certain
embodiments, an antibody is subjected to denaturing conditions to
reveal reactive nucleophilic groups such as lysine or cysteine.
[0383] The loading (drug/antibody ratio) of an ADC may be
controlled in different ways, and for example, by: (i) limiting the
molar excess of drug-linker intermediate or linker reagent relative
to antibody, (ii) limiting the conjugation reaction time or
temperature, and (iii) partial or limiting reductive conditions for
cysteine thiol modification.
[0384] It is to be understood that where more than one nucleophilic
group reacts with a drug-linker intermediate or linker reagent,
then the resulting product is a mixture of ADCs with a distribution
of one or more drug moieties attached to an antibody. The average
number of drugs per antibody may be calculated from the mixture by
a dual ELISA antibody assay, which is specific for antibody and
specific for the drug. Individual ADCs may be identified in the
mixture by mass spectroscopy and separated by HPLC, e.g.
hydrophobic interaction chromatography (see, e.g., McDonagh et al.,
Prot. Engr. Design & Selection, vol. 19, pp. 299-307, 2006;
Hamblen et al., Clin. Cancer Res., vol. 10, pp. 7063-7070, 2004).
In certain embodiments, a homogeneous ADC with a single loading
value may be isolated from the conjugation mixture by
electrophoresis or chromatography.
d) Certain Methods of Preparing Immunoconjugates
[0385] An immunoconjugate that is an ADC of Formula I may be
prepared by several routes employing organic chemistry reactions,
conditions, and reagents known to those skilled in the art,
including: (1) reaction of a nucleophilic group of an antibody with
a bivalent linker reagent to form Ab-L via a covalent bond,
followed by reaction with a drug moiety D; and (2) reaction of a
nucleophilic group of a drug moiety with a bivalent linker reagent,
to form D-L, via a covalent bond, followed by reaction with a
nucleophilic group of an antibody. Exemplary methods for preparing
an ADC of Formula I via the latter route are described in U.S. Pat.
No. 7,498,298.
[0386] Nucleophilic groups on antibodies include, but are not
limited to: (i) N-terminal amine groups, (ii) side chain amine
groups, e.g. lysine, (iii) side chain thiol groups, e.g. cysteine,
and (iv) sugar hydroxyl or amino groups where the antibody is
glycosylated. Amine, thiol, and hydroxyl groups are nucleophilic
and capable of reacting to form covalent bonds with electrophilic
groups on linker moieties and linker reagents including: (i) active
esters such as NHS esters, HOBt esters, haloformates, and acid
halides; (ii) alkyl and benzyl halides such as haloacetamides; and
(iii) aldehydes, ketones, carboxyl, and maleimide groups. Certain
antibodies have reducible interchain disulfides, i.e. cysteine
bridges. Antibodies may be made reactive for conjugation with
linker reagents by treatment with a reducing agent such as DTT
(dithiothreitol) or tricarbonylethylphosphine (TCEP), such that the
antibody is fully or partially reduced. Each cysteine bridge will
thus form, theoretically, two reactive thiol nucleophiles.
Additional nucleophilic groups can be introduced into antibodies
through modification of lysine residues, e.g., by reacting lysine
residues with 2-iminothiolane (Traut's reagent), resulting in
conversion of an amine into a thiol. Reactive thiol groups may also
be introduced into an antibody by introducing one, two, three,
four, or more cysteine residues (e.g., by preparing variant
antibodies comprising one or more non-native cysteine amino acid
residues).
[0387] Antibody-drug conjugates of the invention may also be
produced by reaction between an electrophilic group on an antibody
or antibody fragment, such as an aldehyde or ketone carbonyl group,
with a nucleophilic group on a linker reagent or drug. Useful
nucleophilic groups on a linker reagent include, but are not
limited to, hydrazide, oxime, amino, hydrazine, thiosemicarbazone,
hydrazine carboxylate, and arylhydrazide. In one embodiment, an
antibody is modified to introduce electrophilic moieties that are
capable of reacting with nucleophilic substituents on the linker
reagent or drug. In another embodiment, the sugars of glycosylated
antibodies may be oxidized, e.g. with periodate oxidizing reagents,
to form aldehyde or ketone groups which may react with the amine
group of linker reagents or drug moieties. The resulting imine
Schiff base groups may form a stable linkage, or may be reduced,
e.g. by borohydride reagents to form stable amine linkages. In one
embodiment, reaction of the carbohydrate portion of a glycosylated
antibody with either galactose oxidase or sodium meta-periodate may
yield carbonyl (aldehyde and ketone) groups in the antibody that
can react with appropriate groups on the drug (Hermanson,
Bioconjugate Techniques). In another embodiment, antibodies
containing N-terminal serine or threonine residues can react with
sodium meta-periodate, resulting in production of an aldehyde in
place of the first amino acid (Geoghegan & Stroh, Bioconjugate
Chem., vol. 3, pp. 138-146, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,362,852). Such an
aldehyde can be reacted with a drug moiety or linker
nucleophile.
[0388] Exemplary nucleophilic groups on a drug moiety include, but
are not limited to: amine, thiol, hydroxyl, hydrazide, oxime,
hydrazine, thiosemicarbazone, hydrazine carboxylate, and
arylhydrazide groups capable of reacting to form covalent bonds
with electrophilic groups on linker moieties and linker reagents
including: (i) active esters such as NHS esters, HOBt esters,
haloformates, and acid halides; (ii) alkyl and benzyl halides such
as haloacetamides; (iii) aldehydes, ketones, carboxyl, and
maleimide groups.
[0389] Nonlimiting exemplary cross-linker reagents that may be used
to prepare ADCs are described herein in the section titled
"Exemplary Linkers." Methods of using such cross-linker reagents to
link two moieties, including a proteinaceous moiety and a chemical
moiety, are known in the art. In some embodiments, a fusion protein
comprising an antibody and a cytotoxic agent may be made, e.g., by
recombinant techniques or peptide synthesis. A recombinant DNA
molecule may comprise regions encoding the antibody and cytotoxic
portions of the conjugate either adjacent to one another or
separated by a region encoding a linker peptide which does not
destroy the desired properties of the conjugate.
[0390] In yet another embodiment, an antibody or antibody fragment
may be conjugated to a "receptor" (such as streptavidin) for
utilization in tumor pre-targeting wherein the antibody/antibody
fragment-receptor conjugate is administered to the patient,
followed by removal of unbound conjugate from the circulation using
a clearing agent and then administration of a "ligand" (e.g.,
avidin) which is conjugated to a cytotoxic agent (e.g., a drug or
radionucleotide).
C. Methods and Compositions for Diagnostics and Detection
[0391] In certain embodiments, any of the anti-Ror2 antibodies or
antibody fragments provided herein may be used for detecting the
presence of Ror2 in a biological sample. The term "detecting" as
used herein encompasses quantitative or qualitative detection. In
certain embodiments, a biological sample comprises a cell or
tissue, such as breast, pancreas, esophagus, lung and/or brain
cells or tissue.
[0392] A further aspect of the invention relates to an anti-Ror2
antibody or antibody fragment of the invention for diagnosing
and/or monitoring a cancer or another disease in which Ror2
expression levels are increased or decreased from a normal
physiological level at at least one location in the body.
[0393] In a preferred embodiment, antibodies or antibody fragments
of the invention may be labelled with a detectable molecule or
substance, such as a fluorescent molecule, a radioactive molecule
or any other label known in the art as above described. For
example, an antibody or antibody fragment of the invention may be
labelled with a radioactive molecule. For example, suitable
radioactive molecules include but are not limited to radioactive
atoms used for scintigraphic studies such as .sup.123I, .sup.124I,
.sup.111In, .sup.186Re, and .sup.188Re. Antibodies or antibody
fragments of the invention may also be labelled with a spin label
for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging, such as iodine-123,
iodine-131, indium-Ill, fluorine-19, carbon-13, nitrogen-15,
oxygen-17, gadolinium, manganese or iron. Following administration
of the antibody, the distribution of the radiolabeled antibody
within the patient is detected. Any suitable known method can be
used. Some non-limiting examples include, computed tomography (CT),
position emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI), fluorescence, chemiluminescence and sonography.
[0394] Antibodies or antibody fragments of the invention may be
useful for diagnosing and staging of cancer and diseases associated
with Ror2 overexpression. Cancers associated with Ror2
overexpression may include squamous cell cancer, small-cell lung
cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, gastric cancer, pancreatic
cancer, glial cell tumors such as glioblastoma and
neurofibromatosis, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer,
bladder cancer, hepatoma, breast cancer, colon cancer, melanoma,
colorectal cancer, endometrial carcinoma, salivary gland carcinoma,
kidney cancer, renal cancer, prostate cancer, vulval cancer,
thyroid cancer, hepatic carcinoma, sarcomas, hematological cancers
(leukemias), astrocytomas, and various types of head and neck
cancer or other Ror2 expressing or overexpressing
hyperproliferative diseases.
[0395] Antibodies or antibody fragments of the invention may be
useful for diagnosing diseases other than cancers for which Ror2
expression is increased or decreased. Both the (soluble or cellular
Ror2 forms can be used for such diagnoses. Typically, such
diagnostic methods involve use of a biological sample obtained from
the patient. As used herein the term "biological sample"
encompasses a variety of sample types obtained from a subject that
can be used in a diagnostic or monitoring assay. Biological samples
include but are not limited to blood and other liquid samples of
biological origin, solid tissue samples such as a biopsy specimen
or a tissue culture or cells derived therefrom, and the progeny
thereof. For example, biological samples include cells obtained
from a tissue sample collected from an individual suspected of
having a cancer associated with Ror2 overexpression, and in
preferred embodiments from glioma, gastric, lung, pancreatic,
breast, prostate, renal, hepatic and endometrial. Biological
samples encompass clinical samples, cells in culture, cell
supernatants, cell lysates, serum, plasma, biological fluid, and
tissue samples.
[0396] In a particular embodiment, the invention is a method of
diagnosing a cancer associated with Ror2 overexpression in a
subject by detecting Ror2 on cells from the subject using the
antibody of the invention. In particular, said method may include
steps of:
(a) contacting a biological sample of a subject with an antibody or
antibody fragment according to the invention under conditions
suitable for the antibody or antibody fragment to form complexes
with cells in the biological sample that express Ror2; and (b)
detecting and/or quantifying said complexes, whereby detection of
said complexes is indicative of a cancer associated with Ror2
overexpression.
[0397] In order to monitor the progress of a cancer, the method
according to the invention may be repeated at different times, in
order to determine if antibody binding to the samples increases or
decreases, wherefrom it can be determined if the cancer has
progressed, regressed or stabilized.
[0398] In a particular embodiment, the invention is a method of
diagnosing a disease associated with the expression or
overexpression of Ror2 or a decrease or increase of the soluble
form of Ror2. Examples of such diseases may include human immune
disorders, thrombotic diseases (thrombosis and atherothrombosis),
and cardiovascular diseases
[0399] In one embodiment, an anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody
fragment for use in a method of diagnosis or detection is provided.
In a further aspect, a method of detecting the presence of Ror2 in
a biological sample is provided. In a further aspect, a method of
quantifying the amount of Ror2 in a biological sample is provided.
In certain embodiments, the method comprises contacting the
biological sample with an anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment
as described herein under conditions permissive for binding of the
anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment to Ror2, and detecting
whether a complex is formed between the anti-Ror2 antibody or
antibody fragment and Ror2. Such a method may be carried out in
vitro or in vivo. In one embodiment, an anti-Ror2 antibody or
antibody fragment is used to select subjects eligible for therapy.
In some embodiments, the therapy will include administration of an
anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment to the subject.
[0400] In certain embodiments, labeled anti-Ror2antibodies or
antibody fragments are provided. Labels include, but are not
limited to, labels or moieties that are detected directly (such as
fluorescent, chromophoric, electron-dense, chemiluminescent, and
radioactive labels), as well as moieties, such as enzymes or
ligands, that are detected indirectly, e.g., through an enzymatic
reaction or molecular interaction. Exemplary labels include, but
are not limited to, the radioisotopes .sup.32P, .sup.14C,
.sup.125I, .sup.13H and .sup.131I fluorophores such as rare earth
chelates or fluorescein and its derivatives, rhodamine and its
derivatives, dansyl, umbelliferone, luceriferases, e.g., firefly
luciferase and bacterial luciferase (U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,456),
luciferin, 2,3-dihydrophthalazinediones, horseradish peroxidase
(HRP), alkaline phosphatase, .beta.-galactosidase, glucoamylase,
lysozyme, saccharide oxidases, e.g., glucose oxidase, galactose
oxidase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, heterocyclic
oxidases such as uricase and xanthine oxidase, coupled with an
enzyme that employs hydrogen peroxide to oxidize a dye precursor
such as HRP, lactoperoxidase, or microperoxidase, biotin/avidin,
spin labels, bacteriophage labels, stable free radicals, and the
like.
D. Pharmaceutical Formulations
[0401] The anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody fragments have cell
killing activity. This cell killing activity extends to multiple
different types of cell lines. Further, these antibodies or
antibody fragments, once conjugated to a cytotoxic agent, can
reduce tumor size and may exhibit reduced toxicity. See Example 2
of this application. Thus, the anti-Ror2 antibodies, fragments or
immunoconjugates thereof may be useful for treating proliferative
diseases associated with Ror2 expression. The antibodies, fragments
or immunoconjugates may be used alone or in combination with any
suitable agent or other conventional treatments.
[0402] The anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment may be used to
treat diseases associated with Ror2 expression, overexpression or
activation. There are no particular limitations on the types of
cancer or tissue that can be treated other than the requirement for
Ror2 expression. Examples include squamous cell cancer, small-cell
lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, gastric cancer, pancreatic
cancer, glial cell tumors such as glioblastoma and
neurofibromatosis, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, liver cancer,
bladder cancer, hepatoma, breast cancer, colon cancer, melanoma,
colorectal cancer, endometrial carcinoma, salivary gland carcinoma,
kidney cancer, renal cancer, prostate cancer, vulval cancer,
thyroid cancer, hepatic carcinoma, sarcomas, hematological cancers
(leukemias), astrocytomas, and various types of head and neck
cancer. More preferable cancers are glioma, gastric, lung,
pancreatic, breast, prostate, renal, hepatic and endometrial
cancer.
[0403] Anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody fragments are potential
activators of the innate immune response and thus may be used in
the treatment of human immune disorders, such as sepsis. The
anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment of the invention may also
be used as adjuvants for immunization such as for vaccines and as
anti-infection agents against, for example, bacteria, viruses and
parasites.
[0404] Anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment may be used to
protect against, prevent or treat thrombotic diseases such as
venous and arterial thrombosis and atherothrombosis. Anti-Ror2
antibody or antibody fragment may also be used to protect against,
prevent or treat cardiovascular diseases as well as to prevent or
inhibit the entry of viruses such as Lassa and Ebola viruses and to
treat viral infections.
[0405] In each of the embodiments of the treatment methods
described herein, the anti-Ror2 antibody, antibody fragment or
anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment immunoconjugate may be
delivered in a manner consistent with conventional methodologies
associated with management of the disease or disorder for which
treatment is sought. In accordance with the disclosure herein, an
effective amount of the antibody, antibody fragment or
immunoconjugate is administered to a subject in need of such
treatment for a time and under conditions sufficient to prevent or
treat the disease or disorder. Thus, an aspect of the invention
relates to a method for treating a disease associated with the
expression of Ror2 comprising administering to a subject in need
thereof with a therapeutically effective amount of an antibody,
antibody fragment or immunoconjugate of the invention.
[0406] For administration, the anti-Ror2 antibody, antibody
fragment or immunoconjugate may be formulated as a pharmaceutical
composition. The pharmaceutical composition including anti-Ror2
antibody, antibody fragment or immunoconjugate can be formulated
according to known methods for preparing pharmaceutical
compositions. In such methods, the therapeutic molecule is
typically combined with a mixture, solution or composition
containing a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
[0407] A pharmaceutically acceptable carrier is a material that can
be tolerated by a recipient patient. Sterile phosphate-buffered
saline is one example of a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.
Other suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carriers are well-known
to those in the art. (See, e.g., Gennaro (ed.), Remington's
Pharmaceutical Sciences (Mack Publishing Company, 19th ed. 1995))
Formulations may further include one or more excipients,
preservatives, solubilizers, buffering agents, albumin to prevent
protein loss on vial surfaces, etc.
[0408] The form of the pharmaceutical compositions, the route of
administration, the dosage and the regimen naturally depend upon
the condition to be treated, the severity of the illness, the age,
weight, and sex of the patient, etc. These considerations can be
taken into account by a skilled person to formulate suitable
pharmaceutical compositions. The pharmaceutical compositions of the
invention can be formulated for topical, oral, parenteral,
intranasal, intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous or intraocular
administration and the like.
[0409] Preferably, the pharmaceutical compositions contain vehicles
which are pharmaceutically acceptable for a formulation capable of
being injected. These may be in particular isotonic, sterile,
saline solutions (monosodium or disodium phosphate, sodium,
potassium, calcium or magnesium chloride and the like or mixtures
of such salts), or dry, especially freeze-dried compositions which
upon addition of, for example, sterilized water or physiological
saline, permit the constitution of injectable solutions.
[0410] In some embodiments, tonicity agents, sometimes known as
"stabilizers" are present to adjust or maintain the tonicity of a
liquid in a composition. When used with large, charged biomolecules
such as proteins and antibodies, they are often termed
"stabilizers" because they can interact with the charged groups of
the amino acid side chains, thereby lessening the potential for
inter- and intra-molecular interactions. Tonicity agents can be
present in any amount of from 0.1% to 25% by weight, preferably 1
to 5% of the pharmaceutical composition. Preferred tonicity agents
include polyhydric sugar alcohols, preferably trihydric or higher
sugar alcohols, such as glycerin, erythritol, arabitol, xylitol,
sorbitol and mannitol.
[0411] Additional excipients include agents which can serve as one
or more of the following: (1) bulking agents, (2) solubility
enhancers, (3) stabilizers and (4) and agents preventing
denaturation or adherence to the container wall. Such excipients
may include: polyhydric sugar alcohols (enumerated above); amino
acids such as alanine, glycine, glutamine, asparagine, histidine,
arginine, lysine, ornithine, leucine, 2-phenylalanine, glutamic
acid, threonine, etc.; organic sugars or sugar alcohols such as
sucrose, lactose, lactitol, trehalose, stachyose, mannose, sorbose,
xylose, ribose, ribitol, myoinisitose, myoinisitol, galactose,
galactitol, glycerol, cyclitols (e.g., inositol), polyethylene
glycol; sulfur containing reducing agents, such as urea,
glutathione, thioctic acid, sodium thioglycolate, thioglycerol,
.alpha.-monothioglycerol and sodium thio sulfate; low molecular
weight proteins such as human serum albumin, bovine serum albumin,
gelatin or other immunoglobulins; hydrophilic polymers such as
polyvinylpyrrolidone; monosaccharides (e.g., xylose, mannose,
fructose, glucose; disaccharides (e.g., lactose, maltose, sucrose);
trisaccharides such as raffinose; and polysaccharides such as
dextrin or dextran.
[0412] Non-ionic surfactants or detergents (also known as "wetting
agents") may be employed to help solubilize the therapeutic agent
as well as to protect the therapeutic protein against
agitation-induced aggregation, which also permits the formulation
to be exposed to shear surface stress without causing denaturation
of the active therapeutic protein or antibody. Non-ionic
surfactants may be present in a concentration range of about 0.05
mg/ml to about 1.0 mg/ml, preferably about 0.07 mg/ml to about 0.2
mg/ml.
[0413] Suitable non-ionic surfactants include polysorbates (20, 40,
60, 65, 80, etc.), polyoxamers (184, 188, etc.), PLURONIC.RTM.
polyols, TRITON.RTM., polyoxyethylene sorbitan monoethers
(TWEEN.RTM.-20, TWEEN.RTM.-80, etc.), lauromacrogol 400, polyoxyl
40 stearate, polyoxyethylene hydrogenated castor oil 10, 50 and 60,
glycerol monostearate, sucrose fatty acid ester, methyl celluose
and carboxymethyl cellulose. Anionic detergents that can be used
include sodium lauryl sulfate, dioctyle sodium sulfosuccinate and
dioctyl sodium sulfonate. Cationic detergents include benzalkonium
chloride or benzethonium chloride
[0414] The doses used for the administration can be adapted as a
function of various parameters, and in particular as a function of
the mode of administration used, of the relevant pathology, or
alternatively of the desired duration of treatment. To prepare
pharmaceutical compositions, an effective amount of the antibody or
antibody fragment may be dissolved or dispersed in a
pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or aqueous medium.
[0415] The pharmaceutical forms suitable for injectable use include
sterile aqueous solutions or dispersions; formulations including
sesame oil, peanut oil or aqueous propylene glycol; and sterile
powders for the extemporaneous preparation of sterile injectable
solutions or dispersions. In all cases, the form must be sterile
and must be fluid to the extent that easy syringability exists. It
must be stable under the conditions of manufacture and storage and
must be preserved against the contaminating action of
microorganisms, such as bacteria and fungi.
[0416] Solutions of the active compounds as free base or
pharmacologically acceptable salts can be prepared in a water
suitably mixed with a surfactant. Dispersions can also be prepared
in glycerol, liquid polyethylene glycols, and mixtures thereof and
in oils. Under ordinary conditions of storage and use, these
preparations contain a preservative to prevent the growth of
microorganisms.
[0417] The anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment can be
formulated into a composition in a neutral or salt form.
Pharmaceutically acceptable salts include the acid addition salts
(formed with the free amino groups of the protein) and which are
formed with inorganic acids such as, for example, hydrochloric or
phosphoric acids, or such organic acids as acetic, oxalic,
tartaric, mandelic, and the like. Salts formed with the free
carboxyl groups can also be derived from inorganic bases such as,
for example, sodium, potassium, ammonium, calcium, or ferric
hydroxides, and such organic bases as isopropylamine,
trimethylamine, histidine, procaine and the like.
[0418] The carrier can also be a solvent or dispersion medium
containing, for example, water, ethanol, polyol (for example,
glycerol, propylene glycol, and liquid polyethylene glycol, and the
like), suitable mixtures thereof, and vegetables oils. The proper
fluidity can be maintained, for example, by the use of a coating,
such as lecithin, by the maintenance of the required particle size
in the case of dispersion and by the use of surfactants. The
prevention of the action of microorganisms can be brought about by
various antibacterial and antifungal agents, for example, parabens,
chlorobutanol, phenol, sorbic acid, thimerosal, and the like. In
many cases, it will be preferable to include isotonic agents, for
example, sugars or sodium chloride. Prolonged absorption of the
injectable compositions can be brought about by the use in the
compositions of agents delaying absorption, for example, aluminum
monostearate and gelatin.
[0419] Sterile injectable solutions are prepared by incorporating
the active compounds in the required amount in the appropriate
solvent with one or more of the other ingredients enumerated above,
as may be required, followed by filtered sterilization. Generally,
dispersions are prepared by incorporating the various sterilized
active ingredients into a sterile vehicle which contains the basic
dispersion medium and the required other ingredients from those
enumerated above. In the case of sterile powders for the
preparation of sterile injectable solutions, the preferred methods
of preparation are vacuum-drying and freeze-drying techniques which
yield a powder of the active ingredient plus any additional desired
ingredient from a previously sterile-filtered solution thereof.
[0420] The preparation of more, or highly concentrated solutions
for direct injection is also contemplated, where the use of
dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvent is envisioned to result in
extremely rapid penetration, delivering high concentrations of the
active agents to a small tumor area.
[0421] Upon formulation, solutions will be administered in a manner
compatible with the dosage formulation and in such amount as is
therapeutically effective. The formulations are easily administered
in a variety of dosage forms, such as the type of injectable
solutions described above, but drug release capsules and the like
can also be employed.
[0422] For parenteral administration in an aqueous solution, for
example, the solution should be suitably buffered if necessary and
the liquid diluent first rendered isotonic with sufficient saline
or glucose. These particular aqueous solutions are especially
suitable for intravenous, intramuscular, subcutaneous and
intraperitoneal administration. In this connection, sterile aqueous
media which can be employed will be known to those of skill in the
art in light of the present disclosure. For example, one dosage
could be dissolved in 1 ml of isotonic NaCl solution and either
added to 1000 ml of hypodermoclysis fluid or injected at the
proposed site of infusion, (see for example, "Remington's
Pharmaceutical Sciences" 15th Edition, pages 1035-1038 and
1570-1580). Some variation in dosage will necessarily occur
depending on the condition of the subject being treated. The person
responsible for administration will, in any event, determine the
appropriate dose for the individual subject.
[0423] The antibodies or antibody fragments may be formulated
within a therapeutic mixture to deliver about 0.0001 to 10.0
milligrams, or about 0.001 to 5 milligrams, or about 0.001 to 1
milligrams, or about 0.001 to 0.1 milligrams, or about 0.1 to 1.0
or even about 10 milligrams per dose. Multiple doses can also be
administered at selected time intervals.
[0424] In addition to the compounds formulated for parenteral
administration, such as intravenous or intramuscular injection,
other pharmaceutically acceptable forms include, e.g. tablets or
other solids for oral administration; time release capsules; and
any other form currently used.
[0425] In certain embodiments, the use of liposomes and/or
nanoparticles is contemplated for the introduction of antibodies or
antibody fragments into host cells. The formation and use of
liposomes and/or nanoparticles are known to those of skill in the
art.
[0426] Nanocapsules can generally entrap compounds in a stable and
reproducible way. To avoid side effects due to intracellular
polymeric overloading, such ultrafine particles (sized around 0.1
.mu.m) are generally designed using polymers able to degrade in
vivo. Biodegradable polyalkyl-cyanoacrylate nanoparticles that meet
these requirements are contemplated for use in the present
invention, and such particles may be easily made.
[0427] Liposomes are formed from phospholipids that are dispersed
in an aqueous medium and spontaneously form multilamellar
concentric bilayer vesicles (also termed multilamellar vesicles
(MLVs)). MLVs generally have diameters of from 25 nm to 4 .mu.m.
Sonication of MLVs results in the formation of small unilamellar
vesicles (SUVs) with diameters in the range of 200 to 500 .ANG.,
containing an aqueous solution in the core. The physical
characteristics of liposomes depend on pH, ionic strength and the
presence of divalent cations
[0428] Pharmaceutical formulations containing an anti-Ror2 antibody
or antibody fragment as described herein are prepared by mixing
such antibody or antibody fragment having the desired degree of
purity with one or more optional pharmaceutically acceptable
carriers (Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences 16th edition, Osol,
A. Ed. (1980)), in the form of lyophilized formulations or aqueous
solutions. Pharmaceutically acceptable carriers are generally
nontoxic to recipients at the dosages and concentrations employed,
and include, but are not limited to: buffers such as phosphate,
citrate, and other organic acids; antioxidants including ascorbic
acid and methionine; preservatives (such as octadecyldimethylbenzyl
ammonium chloride; hexamethonium chloride; benzalkonium chloride;
benzethonium chloride; phenol, butyl or benzyl alcohol; alkyl
parabens such as methyl or propyl paraben; catechol; resorcinol;
cyclohexanol; 3-pentanol; and m-cresol); low molecular weight (less
than about 10 residues) polypeptides; proteins, such as serum
albumin, gelatin, or immunoglobulins; hydrophilic polymers such as
polyvinylpyrrolidone; amino acids such as glycine, glutamine,
asparagine, histidine, arginine, or lysine; monosaccharides,
disaccharides, and other carbohydrates including glucose, mannose,
or dextrins; chelating agents such as EDTA; sugars such as sucrose,
mannitol, trehalose or sorbitol; salt-forming counter-ions such as
sodium; metal complexes (e.g. Zn-protein complexes); and/or
non-ionic surfactants such as polyethylene glycol (PEG).
[0429] Exemplary pharmaceutically acceptable carriers herein
further include interstitial drug dispersion agents such as soluble
neutral-active hyaluronidase glycoproteins (sHASEGP), for example,
human soluble PH-20 hyaluronidase glycoproteins, such as rHuPH20
(HYLENEX.RTM., Baxter International, Inc.). Certain exemplary
sHASEGPs and methods of use, including rHuPH20, are described in US
Patent Publication Nos. 2005/0260186 and 2006/0104968. In one
aspect, a sHASEGP is combined with one or more additional
glycosaminoglycanases such as chondroitinases.
[0430] Exemplary lyophilized antibody formulations are described in
U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,958. Aqueous antibody formulations include
those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,586 and WO2006/044908, the
latter formulations including a histidine-acetate buffer.
[0431] The formulation herein may also contain more than one active
ingredient as necessary for the particular indication being
treated. Preferably, ingredients with complementary activities that
do not adversely affect each other may be combined into a single
formulation. For example, it may be desirable to provide an EGFR
antagonist (such as erlotinib), an anti-angiogenic agent (such as a
VEGF antagonist which may be an anti-VEGF antibody) or a
chemotherapeutic agent (such as a taxoid or a platinum agent) in
addition to the anti-Ror2 antibody, antibody fragment or
immunoconjugate of the present invention. Such active ingredients
are suitably present in combination in amounts that are effective
for the purpose intended.
[0432] Active ingredients may be encapsulated in microcapsules
prepared, for example, by coacervation techniques or by interfacial
polymerization. For example, hydroxymethylcellulose or
gelatin-microcapsules and poly-(methylmethacylate) microcapsules,
respectively, in colloidal drug delivery systems (for example,
liposomes, albumin microspheres, microemulsions, nano-particles and
nanocapsules) or in macroemulsions may be employed. Such techniques
are disclosed in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences 16th edition,
Osol, A. Ed. (1980).
[0433] Sustained-release preparations may be prepared. Suitable
examples of sustained-release preparations include semipermeable
matrices of solid hydrophobic polymers containing the antibody or
antibody fragment, which matrices may be in the form of shaped
articles, e.g. films, or microcapsules.
[0434] The formulations to be used for in vivo administration are
generally sterile. Sterility may be readily accomplished, e.g., by
filtration through sterile filtration membranes.
E. Therapeutic Methods and Compositions
[0435] Any of the anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody fragments
provided herein may be used in therapeutic methods. In one aspect,
an anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment for use as a medicament
is provided. In further aspects, an anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody
fragment for use in treating cancer (e.g., breast cancer, non-small
cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, brain cancer, cancer of
pancreas, brain, kidney, ovary, stomach, leukemia, uterine
endometrium, colon, prostate, thyroid, liver, osteosarcoma, and/or
melanoma) is provided. In certain embodiments, an anti-Ror2
antibody or antibody fragment for use in a method of treatment is
provided. In certain embodiments, the invention provides an
anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment for use in a method of
treating an individual having cancer comprising administering to
the individual an effective amount of the anti-Ror2 antibody or
antibody fragment. In certain embodiments, the invention provides
an anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment for use in a method of
treating an individual having an immune disorder (e.g., an
autoimmune disorder), a cardiovascular disorder (e.g.,
atherosclerosis, hypertension, thrombosis), an infectious disease
(e.g., Ebola virus, Marburg virus) or diabetes, comprising
administering to the individual an effective amount of the
anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment. In one such embodiment,
the method further comprises administering to the individual an
effective amount of at least one additional therapeutic agent,
e.g., as described below. In further embodiments, the invention
provides an anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment for use in
inhibiting angiogenesis, inhibiting cell proliferation, inhibiting
immune function, inhibiting inflammatory cytokine secretion (e.g.,
from tumor-associated macrophages), inhibiting tumor vasculature
(e.g., intratumoral vasculature or tumor-associated vasculature),
and/or inhibiting tumor stromal function.
[0436] In certain embodiments, the invention provides an anti-Ror2
antibody or antibody fragment for use in a method of inhibiting
angiogenesis, inhibiting cell proliferation, inhibiting immune
function, inhibiting inflammatory cytokine secretion (e.g., from
tumor-associated macrophages), inhibiting tumor vasculature (e.g.,
intratumoral vasculature or tumor-associated vasculature), and/or
inhibiting tumor stromal function in an individual comprising
administering to the individual an effective of the anti-Ror2
antibody or antibody fragment to inhibit angiogenesis, inhibit cell
proliferation, inhibit immune function, inhibit inflammatory
cytokine secretion (e.g., from tumor-associated macrophages),
inhibit tumor vasculature development (e.g., intratumoral
vasculature or tumor-associated vasculature), and/or inhibit tumor
stromal function. An "individual" according to any of the above
embodiments is preferably a human.
[0437] In a further aspect, the invention provides for the use of
an anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment in the manufacture or
preparation of a medicament. In one embodiment, the medicament is
for treatment of cancer (in some embodiments, breast cancer,
non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, brain cancer, cancer
of the pancreas, brain, kidney, ovary, stomach, leukemia, uterine
endometrium, colon, prostate, thyroid, liver, osteosarcoma, and/or
melanoma). In a further embodiment, the medicament is for use in a
method of treating cancer comprising administering to an individual
having cancer an effective amount of the medicament. In a further
embodiment, the medicament is for use in a method of treating an
immune disorder (e.g., an autoimmune disorder), a cardiovascular
disorder (e.g., atherosclerosis, hypertension, thrombosis), an
infectious disease (e.g., Ebola virus, Marburg virus) or diabetes,
comprising administering to the individual an effective amount of
the anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment. In one such
embodiment, the method further comprises administering to the
individual an effective amount of at least one additional
therapeutic agent, e.g., as described below. In a further
embodiment, the medicament is for inhibiting angiogenesis,
inhibiting cell proliferation, inhibiting immune function,
inhibiting inflammatory cytokine secretion (e.g., from
tumor-associated macrophages), inhibiting tumor vasculature (e.g.,
intratumoral vasculature or tumor-associated vasculature), and/or
inhibiting tumor stromal function. In a further embodiment, the
medicament is for use in a method of inhibiting angiogenesis,
inhibiting cell proliferation, inhibiting immune function,
inhibiting inflammatory cytokine secretion (e.g., from
tumor-associated macrophages), inhibiting tumor vasculature (e.g.,
intratumoral vasculature or tumor-associated vasculature), and/or
inhibiting tumor stromal function in an individual comprising
administering to the individual an amount effective of the
medicament to inhibit angiogenesis, inhibit cell proliferation,
promote immune function, induce inflammatory cytokine section
(e.g., from tumor-associated macrophages), inhibit tumor
vasculature development (e.g., intratumoral vasculature or
tumor-associated vasculature), and/or inhibit tumor stromal
function. An "individual" according to any of the above embodiments
may be a human.
[0438] In a further aspect, the invention provides a method for
treating a cancer. In one embodiment, the method comprises
administering to an individual having such cancer an effective
amount of an anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment. In one such
embodiment, the method further comprises administering to the
individual an effective amount of at least one additional
therapeutic agent, as described below. An "individual" according to
any of the above embodiments may be a human.
[0439] In a further aspect, the invention provides a method for
treating an immune disorder (e.g., an autoimmune disorder), a
cardiovascular disorder (e.g., atherosclerosis, hypertension,
thrombosis), an infectious disease (e.g., Ebola virus, Marburg
virus) or diabetes. In one such embodiment, the method further
comprises administering to the individual an effective amount of at
least one additional therapeutic agent, as described below. An
"individual" according to any of the above embodiments may be a
human.
[0440] In a further aspect, the invention provides a method for
inhibiting angiogenesis, inhibiting cell proliferation, inhibiting
immune function, inhibiting inflammatory cytokine secretion (e.g.,
from tumor-associated macrophages), inhibiting tumor vasculature
(e.g., intratumoral vasculature or tumor-associated vasculature),
and/or inhibiting tumor stromal function in an individual. In one
embodiment, the method comprises administering to the individual an
effective amount of an anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment to
inhibit angiogenesis, inhibit cell proliferation, promote immune
function, induce inflammatory cytokine section (e.g., from
tumor-associated macrophages), inhibit tumor vasculature
development (e.g., intratumoral vasculature or tumor-associated
vasculature), and/or inhibit tumor stromal function. In one
embodiment, an "individual" is a human.
[0441] In a further aspect, the invention provides pharmaceutical
formulations comprising any of the anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody
fragments provided herein, e.g., for use in any of the above
therapeutic methods. In one embodiment, a pharmaceutical
formulation comprises any of the anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody
fragments provided herein and a pharmaceutically acceptable
carrier. In another embodiment, a pharmaceutical formulation
comprises any of the anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody fragments
provided herein and at least one additional therapeutic agent,
e.g., as described below.
[0442] In each and every treatment described above, the antibodies
or antibody fragments of the invention can be used alone, as
immunoconjugates or in combination with other agents in a therapy.
For instance, an antibody of the invention may be co-administered
with at least one additional therapeutic agent. In certain
embodiments, an additional therapeutic agent is an anti-angiogenic
agent. In certain embodiments, an additional therapeutic agent is a
VEGF antagonist (in some embodiments, an anti-VEGF antibody, for
example bevacizumab). In certain embodiments, an additional
therapeutic agent is an EGFR antagonist (in some embodiment,
erlotinib). In certain embodiments, an additional therapeutic agent
is a chemotherapeutic agent and/or a cytostatic agent. In certain
embodiments, an additional therapeutic agent is a taxoid (e.g.,
paclitaxel) and/or a platinum agent (e.g., carboplatinum). In
certain embodiments the additional therapeutic agent is an agents
that enhances the patient's immunity or immune system.
[0443] Such combination therapies noted above encompass combined
administration (where two or more therapeutic agents are included
in the same or separate formulations), and separate administration,
in which case, administration of the antibody or antibody fragment
can occur prior to, simultaneously, and/or following,
administration of the additional therapeutic agent and/or adjuvant.
Antibodies or antibody fragments can also be used in combination
with radiation therapy.
[0444] Antibodies or antibody fragments may be formulated, dosed,
and administered in a fashion consistent with good medical
practice. Factors for consideration in this context include the
particular disorder being treated, the particular mammal being
treated, the clinical condition of the individual patient, the
cause of the disorder, the site of delivery of the agent, the
method of administration, the scheduling of administration, and
other factors known to medical practitioners. The antibody or
antibody fragment need not be, but is optionally formulated with
one or more agents currently used to prevent or treat the disorder
in question. The effective amount of such other agents depends on
the amount of antibody or antibody fragment present in the
formulation, the type of disorder or treatment, and other factors
discussed above. These are generally used in the same dosages and
with administration routes as described herein, or about from 1 to
99% of the dosages described herein, or in any dosage and by any
route that is empirically/clinically determined to be
appropriate.
[0445] For the prevention or treatment of disease, the appropriate
dosage of an antibody or antibody fragment (when used alone or in
combination with one or more other additional therapeutic agents)
will depend on the type of disease to be treated, the type of
antibody or antibody fragment, the severity and course of the
disease, whether the antibody or antibody fragment is administered
for preventive or therapeutic purposes, previous therapy, the
patient's clinical history and response to the antibody or antibody
fragment, and the discretion of the attending physician. The
antibody or antibody fragment is suitably administered to the
patient at one time or over a series of treatments. Depending on
the type and severity of the disease, about 1 .mu.g/kg to 40 mg/kg
of antibody or antibody fragment can be an initial candidate dosage
for administration to the patient, whether, for example, by one or
more separate administrations, or by continuous infusion. One
typical daily dosage might range from about 1 .mu.g/kg to 100 mg/kg
or more, depending on the factors mentioned above. For repeated
administrations over several days or longer, depending on the
condition, the treatment would generally be sustained until a
desired suppression of disease symptoms occurs. Such doses may be
administered intermittently, e.g. every week or every three weeks
(e.g. such that the patient receives from about two to about
twenty, or e.g. about six doses of the antibody or antibody
fragment). An initial higher loading dose, followed by one or more
lower doses may be administered. However, other dosage regimens may
be useful. The progress of this therapy is easily monitored by
conventional techniques and assays.
[0446] It is understood that any of the above formulations or
therapeutic methods may be carried out using an antibody fragment
or an immunoconjugate of the invention in place of or in addition
to an anti-Ror2 antibody.
[0447] Enhancing the host's immune function to combat tumors is the
subject of increasing interest. Conventional methods include (i)
APC enhancement, such as (a) injection into the tumor of DNA
encoding foreign MHC alloantigens, or (b) transfecting biopsied
tumor cells with genes that increase the probability of immune
antigen recognition (e.g., immune stimulatory cytokines, GM-CSF,
co-stimulatory molecules B7.1, B7.2) of the tumor, (iii) adoptive
cellular immunotherapy, or treatment with activated tumor-specific
T-cells. Adoptive cellular immunotherapy includes isolating
tumor-infiltrating host T-lymphocytes, expanding the population in
vitro, such as through stimulation by IL-2 or tumor or both.
Additionally, isolated T-cells that are dysfunctional may be also
be activated by in vitro application of the anti-PD-L1 antibodies
of the invention. T-cells that are so-activated may then be
readministered to the host. One or more of these methods may be
used in combination with administration of the antibody, antibody
fragment or immunoconjugate of the present invention.
[0448] Traditional therapies for cancer include the following: (i)
radiation therapy (e.g., radiotherapy, X-ray therapy, irradiation)
or the use of ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink
tumors. Radiation therapy can be administered either externally via
external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) or internally via brachytherapy;
(ii) chemotherapy, or the application of cytotoxic drug which
generally affect rapidly dividing cells; (iii) targeted therapies,
or agents which specifically affect the deregulated proteins of
cancer cells (e.g., tyrosine kinase inhibitors imatinib, gefitinib;
monoclonal antibodies, photodynamic therapy); (iv) immunotherapy,
or enhancement of the host's immune response (e.g., vaccine); (v)
hormonal therapy, or blockade of hormone (e.g., when tumor is
hormone sensitive), (vi) angiogenesis inhibitor, or blockade of
blood vessel formation and growth, and (vii) palliative care, or
treatment directed to improving the quality of care to reduce pain,
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and hemorrhage. Pain medication such as
morphine and oxycodone, anti-emetics such as ondansetron and
aprepitant, can permit more aggressive treatment regimens.
[0449] In the treatment of cancer, any of the previously described
conventional treatments for the treatment of cancer immunity may be
conducted, prior, subsequent or simultaneous with the
administration of the anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody fragments.
Additionally, the anti-Ror2 antibodies or antibody fragments may be
administered prior, subsequent or simultaneous with conventional
cancer treatments, such as the administration of tumor-binding
antibodies (e.g., monoclonal antibodies, toxin-conjugated
monoclonal antibodies) and/or the administration of
chemotherapeutic agents.
F. Articles of Manufacture and Kits
[0450] In another aspect of the invention, an article of
manufacture containing an anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody fragment
and other materials useful for the treatment, prevention and/or
diagnosis of the disorders described above is provided. The article
of manufacture comprises a container and a label or package insert
on or associated with the container. Suitable containers include,
for example, bottles, vials, syringes, IV solution bags, etc. The
containers may be formed from a variety of materials such as glass
or plastic. The container holds a composition which is by itself or
combined with another composition effective for treating,
preventing and/or diagnosing the condition and may have a sterile
access port (for example the container may be an intravenous
solution bag or a vial having a stopper pierceable by a hypodermic
injection needle). At least one active agent in the composition is
an antibody or antibody fragment of the invention. The label or
package insert indicates that the composition is used for treating
the condition of choice. Moreover, the article of manufacture may
comprise (a) a first container with a composition contained
therein, wherein the composition comprises an antibody or antibody
fragment; and (b) a second container with a composition contained
therein, wherein the composition comprises a further cytotoxic or
otherwise therapeutic agent. The article of manufacture in this
embodiment of the invention may further comprise a package insert
indicating that the compositions can be used to treat a particular
condition. Alternatively, or additionally, the article of
manufacture may further comprise a second (or third) container
comprising a pharmaceutically-acceptable buffer, such as
bacteriostatic water for injection (BWFI), phosphate-buffered
saline, Ringer's solution and dextrose solution. It may further
include other materials desirable from a commercial and user
standpoint, including other buffers, diluents, filters, needles,
and syringes.
[0451] It is understood that any of the above articles of
manufacture may include an immunoconjugate of the invention in
place of or in addition to an anti-Ror2 antibody or antibody
fragment.
[0452] Finally, the invention also provides kits comprising at
least one antibody or antibody fragment of the invention. Kits
containing polypeptide, antibodies or antibody fragments, or
antibody drug conjugate of the invention find use in detecting Ror2
expression (increase or decrease), or in therapeutic or diagnostic
assays. Kits of the invention can contain an antibody coupled to a
solid support, e.g., a tissue culture plate or beads (e.g.,
sepharose beads). Kits can be provided which contain antibodies for
detection and quantification of Ror2 in vitro, e.g. in an ELISA or
a Western blot. Such antibody useful for detection may be provided
with a label such as a fluorescent or radiolabel.
[0453] The kits further contain instructions on the use thereof. In
some embodiments, the instructions comprise instructions required
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for in vitro diagnostic
kits. In some embodiments, the kits further comprise instructions
for diagnosing the presence or absence of cerebrospinal fluid in a
sample based on the presence or absence of Ror2 in said sample. In
some embodiments, the kits comprise one or more antibodies or
antibody fragments. In other embodiments, the kits further comprise
one or more enzymes, enzyme inhibitors or enzyme activators. In
still other embodiments, the kits further comprise one or more
chromatographic compounds. In yet other embodiments, the kits
further comprise one or more compounds used to prepare the sample
for spectroscopic assay. In further embodiments, the kits further
comprise comparative reference material to interpret the presence
or absence of Ror2 according to intensity, color spectrum, or other
physical attribute of an indicator.
[0454] The following examples are illustrative, but not limiting,
of the soft gelatin capsules of the present disclosure. Other
suitable modifications and adaptations of the variety of conditions
and parameters normally encountered in the field, and which are
obvious to those skilled in the art, are within the scope of the
disclosure.
EXAMPLES
Example 1: Conditionally Active Biological (CAB) Antibodies Against
Ror2
[0455] Antibodies against human Ror2 were produced in this Example.
A humanized antibody against Ror2 was used as the wild-type
antibody to generate the CAB antibodies against Ror2. The DNAs
encoding the wild-type antibody (heavy chain and light chain
variable regions) were evolved to generate mutant antibody heavy
chain and light chain variable region libraries. The mutant heavy
chain and light chain variable regions in the libraries were
screened for selective binding affinity to human Ror2 at pH 6.0
over pH 7.4 by ELISA (FIGS. 2A-2B and 3A-3B). Simultaneously, the
expression level of the mutant antibodies was also optimized for
the purpose of providing higher yields in a subsequent
manufacturing process. The screening was done in serum using a FLAG
tag because there were human antibodies in the serum which might
cause false positives for the screening. The generated
conditionally active antibodies were found to have a higher binding
affinity to Ror2 at pH 6.0 than their binding affinity to the Ror2
at pH 7.4 (Tables 1 and 2).
[0456] The CAB antibodies did not show aggregation in a buffer as
demonstrated in FIG. 4. A CAB antibody was analyzed by size
exclusion chromatography. As shown in FIG. 4, only one peak was
detected, demonstrating little or no aggregation of the antibody.
FIG. 5 shows that some of the selected mutant antibodies (scFv)
demonstrated a higher binding affinity to Ror2 at pH 6.0 than the
binding affinity to Ror2 at pH 7.4. In addition, FIG. 5 also shows
that raising the temperature from room temperature to 60.degree. C.
did not significantly alter the selectivity of the antibodies.
[0457] The conditionally active antibodies all exhibited high
expression levels as shown in Table 4 below, with the column
"Clone" indicating the antibodies and the expression level being
shown in the second column in mg/ml.
[0458] The clones of these antibodies were sent to a service
provider with a requested expression level representing an expected
expression level ("amount ordered"). However, the actual expression
levels of several of these antibodies ("amount delivered") were
very high and exceeded the expected expression levels. At least
three clones had expression levels that exceeded the expected
expression level (BAP048.7.067-HC-FLAG, BAP048.7C02D09-FLAG, and
BAP048.7-A03F01-FLAG).
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Antibodies with high expression levels Clone
[mg/mL] estimated yield actual yield BAP048.1-06-07 4.9 100 137
BAP048.7-06-07 3.7 100 94 BAP048.7-C02D09 3.8 30 57 BAP048.7-A03F01
4.4 30 65 BAP048.7-A03C05 4.2 30 36
[0459] The conditionally active antibodies were also assayed using
surface plasmon resonance (SPR) to measure their on and off rates
for binding to Ror2. The SPR assay can be used to measure on and
off rates for protein binding. The in vivo on and off rate (in
animals and humans) of the conditionally active antibodies is an
important feature.
[0460] It was observed that the conditionally active antibodies
have a good binding activity at pH 6.0 and little or no binding
activity at pH 7.4 (FIGS. 6A-6B). The SPR assay showed that these
same conditionally active antibodies were highly selective at pH
6.0 as compared to pH 7.4 (FIGS. 6A-6B).
Example 2: Anti-Ror2 Antibodies Conjugated to a Model Toxin
[0461] The anti-Ror2 antibody of the present invention was
conjugated to a model toxin (e.g., paclitaxel) to produce a
conditionally active antibody-drug conjugate (Ror2-CAB-ADC).
[0462] Tumors were induced in mice by injection of MDA-MB-436 tumor
cells to produce xenografted mice. The Ror2-CAB-ADC was then
injected into the xenografted mice at a dose of 0.3 or 1 mg/kg once
a week for 2 weeks. The controls used in this study included PBS
buffer as vehicle and the toxin alone (paclitaxel). The study
showed that the Ror2-CAB-ADC provided a significantly greater
reduction in the size of the tumor, in comparison with the controls
(FIGS. 7A-7C). The results for the 0.3 mg/kg dosage group are
presented in FIG. 7B and the results for the 1 mg/kg dosage group
are presented in FIG. 7C. This study showed that the anti-Ror2
antibody conjugated with toxin is effective in reducing tumor
size.
Example 3. pH Dependent Binding Affinity of Conditionally Active
Antibody BAP048
[0463] The binding affinity of one of the conditionally active
antibodies identified by the present invention, BAP048 (or BAP048.7
as shown in some of the figures), was tested by pH titration. The
wild-type antibody was used as control. As shown in FIG. 8, the
conditionally active antibody BAP048 is more active at pH lower
than pH 6.5, but less active at pH 7.0. The wild-type antibody does
not show pH dependency for its binding affinity.
Example 4. Cross-Species Binding Affinity of Conditionally Active
Antibody BAP048
[0464] The conditionally active antibody BAP048 was selected for
conditional binding affinity of the human Ror2. This conditionally
active antibody was tested for its binding affinity to three
targets: human Ror2 (hROR2), cynomolgus Ror2 (cynoROR2), and mouse
Ror2 (mROR2) using ELISA (FIG. 9). The conditionally active
antibody BAP048 shown almost identical binding affinity to the
human and cynomolgus Ror2, but significantly lower binding affinity
to mouse Ror2. The EC50 of the conditionally active antibody BAP048
for the three targets were calculated to be 201.4 ng/ml for human
Ror2, 327.1 ng/ml for ocynomolgus Ror2, and 7653 ng/ml for the
mouse Ror2.
Example 5. Cell Killing by Conditionally Active Antibody
BAP048-MMAE Conjugates
[0465] The conditionally active antibody BAP048 was conjugated to
chemotherapy drug Monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) to produce an
antibody drug conjugate (ADC). The ADC was tested on HEK293 cells
that express human Ror2 on the cell surface. Negative control used
for this test was an affinity matching antibody but not specific
for human Ror2. The negative control was also conjugated to
MMAE.
[0466] The BAP048 ADC was tested under two pH: 6.0 and 7. The
percentage of cells remained alive after the treatment, relative to
the cells treated by the negative control was presented in FIG. 10.
It was observed that the BAP048 ADC displayed cell killing activity
at pH 6.0 at a concentration below 100 ng/ml, while at pH 7.4, the
BAP048 ADC showed cell killing at about 1000 ng/ml, a difference of
effective concentration about 10 fold.
[0467] The cell killing activity of the BAP048 ADC was also tested
on LCLC103H cells and HT1080 cells. For LCLC103H cells, which are a
human lung cancer line, the cell killing activity of the BAP048 ADC
was tested at pH 6.0, 6.2, and 6.4 (FIGS. 11A-11C). The difference
of the cell killing activity of the BAP048 ADC was not
significantly different among the three tested pH values, with the
IC50 at 1.819 ng/ml (pH 6.0), 1.232 ng/ml (pH 6.2), and 3.318 ng/ml
(pH 6.5).
[0468] For HT1080 cells, which are a fibrosarcoma cell line, the
cell killing activity of the BAP048 ADC was also tested at pH 6.0,
6.2, and 6.4 (FIGS. 12A-12C). The difference of the cell killing
activity of the BAP048 ADC was not significantly different among
the three tested pH values, with the IC50 at 2.897 ng/ml (pH 6.0),
3.138 ng/ml (pH 6.2), and 2.601 ng/ml (pH 6.5).
Example 6. Treatment of Tumor in Mice by Conditionally Active
Antibody BAP048-MMAE Conjugates
[0469] The lung cancer cells LCLC103H were injected into mice to
generate mouse zenografts (tumors in mice). The conditionally
active antibody BAP048 was conjugated to MMAE through a linker
thiobridge to generate an ADC for injection to the mice at two
concentrations 1 mg/kg and 6 mg/kg. The negative control was the
buffer (vehicle) without the ADC. One dose group was injected at 1
mg/kg dose weekly for three doses, and the other dose group was
injected at 6 mg/kg dose every 4 days for 4 doses.
[0470] The volumes of the tumors were measured during the study. It
was observed that at 6 mg/kg dose group, the tumor size shrank
significantly by day 30 by the BAP048-MMAE ADC. At the 1 mg/kg dose
group, the tumor growth was slowed by the BAP048-MMAE ADC, in
comparison with the vehicle control (FIG. 13).
Example 7. Effect of Linker in Conditionally Active Antibody
BAP048-MMAE Conjugates
[0471] The effect of the linkers of the conditionally active
antibody BAP048 MMAE conjugation was tested using two different
linkers: mc-vc-PAB and mc-PEG8-vc (FIG. 14). The same negative
control (vehicle) was used. These two BAP048-MMAE conjugates were
injected into the mouse xenografts at a single dose of 1 mg/ml. The
size of the tumors was measured during the study. It was observed
that though both BAP048-MMAE conjugates significantly slowed the
growth of the tumors in comparison with the negative control, the
difference between the two BAP048-MMAE conjugates was not
significant (FIG. 14). Thus, it appears the affect of the linkers
on the BAP048-MMAE conjugates is not significant.
Example 8. Treatment of Tumor in Mice by Conditionally Active
Antibody BAP048
[0472] This example is similar to Example 6, except the cells used
to induce the tumors in the mice are different. The two cell lines
used in this example are HT1080 cells (a fibrosarcoma cell line)
and MDA-MB-436 cells (a breast cancer cell line).
[0473] For the mouse xenograft induced by HT1080, the conditionally
active antibody BAP048 was conjugated to MMAE with the linker of
mc-vc-PAB. Three dose groups were used: 6 mg/kg every 4 days for 4
doses, 10 mg/kg every week for 3 doses, and 10 mg/kg every 4 days
for 4 doses (FIG. 15A). Tow controls were used: one is the vehicle
without antibody or MMAE, the other is the BAP048 antibody without
conjugated MMAE.
[0474] It was observed that the tumor grew steadily with the two
control groups. The growth of the tumor volume was slowed
significantly by the conditionally active antibody BAP048-MMAE
conjugates. The inhibition of the tumor growth was dose dependent,
with the highest dose group, 10 mg/kg every 4 days for 4 doses,
showed the largest reduction in tumor growth (FIG. 15A).
[0475] For the mouse xenograft induced by MDA-MB-436, the
conditionally active antibody BAP048 was also conjugated to MMAE
with the linker of mc-vc-PAB. There was only one dose group: 6
mg/kg every 4 days for 4 doses, with the vehicle (no antibody or
MMAE) as the control (FIG. 15B). It was observed that the tumor
grew steadily with the control group. The growth of the tumor
volume was reduced significantly by the conditionally active
antibody BAP048-MMAE conjugates (FIG. 15B).
[0476] It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous
characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been
set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of
the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is
illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in
matters of shape, size and arrangement of parts within the
principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the
broad general meanings of the terms in which the appended claims
are expressed.
[0477] All documents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by
reference in their entirety or alternatively to provide the
disclosure for which they were specifically relied upon. The
applicant(s) do not intend to dedicate any disclosed embodiments to
the public, and to the extent any disclosed modifications or
alterations may not literally fall within the scope of the claims,
they are considered to be part hereof under the doctrine of
equivalents.
Sequence CWU 1
1
27110PRTArtificial SequenceSynthetic
sequencemisc_feature(4)..(4)Xaa can be amino acid E or
Fmisc_feature(7)..(7)Xaa can be amino acid Y or
Dmisc_feature(8)..(8)Xaa can be amino acid T or
Cmisc_feature(9)..(9)Xaa can be amino acid M or D or E or Y 1Gly
Tyr Thr Xaa Thr Glu Xaa Xaa Xaa His1 5 10217PRTArtificial
SequenceSynthetic sequencemisc_feature(1)..(1)Xaa can be amino acid
G or Smisc_feature(2)..(2)Xaa can be amino acid I or
Emisc_feature(3)..(3)Xaa can be amino acid N or Cor L or
Vmisc_feature(4)..(4)Xaa can be amino acid T or D or E 2Xaa Xaa Xaa
Xaa Asn Asn Gly Gly Thr Gly Tyr Asn Gln Lys Phe Lys1 5 10
15Gly316PRTArtificial SequenceSynthetic sequence
220>misc_feature(2)..(2)Xaa can be amino acid R or
Hmisc_feature(3)..(3)Xaa can be amino acid G or
Emisc_feature(5)..(5)Xaa can be amino acid L orF
220>misc_feature(9)..(9)Xaa can be amino acid G or
Dmisc_feature(10)..(10)Xaa can be amino acid N or
Emisc_feature(14)..(14)Xaa can be amino acid D or
Lmisc_feature(15)..(15)Xaa can be amino acid Y or C or
Tmisc_feature(16)..(16)Xaa can be amino acid W or L 3Xaa Xaa Xaa
Ser Xaa Tyr Xaa Tyr Xaa Xaa Ser Tyr Phe Xaa Xaa Xaa1 5 10
15411PRTArtificialSynthetic sequencemisc_feature(8)..(8)Xaa can be
amino acid Y or E or R or T 4Gly Tyr Ser Ile Thr Thr Gly Xaa Tyr
Trp Asn1 5 10516PRTArtificialSynthetic
sequencemisc_feature(8)..(8)Xaa can be amino acid K or N 5Tyr Ile
Thr Tyr Asp Gly Ser Xaa Asn Tyr Asn Pro Ser Leu Lys Asn1 5 10
15613PRTArtificialSynthetic sequencemisc_feature(3)..(3)Xaa can be
amino acid R or G or H or W or Ymisc_feature(4)..(4)Xaa can be
amino acid F or C or N or Qmisc_feature(5)..(5)Xaa can be amino
acid E or Smisc_feature(6)..(6)Xaa can be amino acid G or E or F or
H or M or Q or S 220>misc_feature(9)..(9)Xaa can be amino acid Y
or G or N or Qmisc_feature(10)..(10)Xaa can be amino acid G or S or
Tmisc_feature(13)..(13)Xaa can be amino acid Y or I 6Cys Ser Xaa
Xaa Xaa Xaa Val Xaa Xaa Xaa Leu Asp Xaa1 5 10710PRTArtificial
SequenceSynthetic sequencemisc_feature(6)..(6)Xaa can be amino acid
V or Emisc_feature(7)..(7)Xaa can be amino acid S or
Dmisc_feature(8)..(8)Xaa can be amino acid Yor C or
Dmisc_feature(10)..(10)Xaa can be amino acid H or G or L 7Ser Ala
Thr Ser Ser Xaa Xaa Xaa Met Xaa1 5 1087PRTArtificial
SequenceSynthetic sequencemisc_feature(1)..(1)Xaa can be amino acid
G or C or H or P 8Xaa Thr Ser Asn Leu Ala Ser1 5910PRTArtificial
SequenceSynthetic sequencemisc_feature(2)..(2)Xaa can be amino acid
Q or Emisc_feature(3)..(3)Xaa can be amino acid R or H
220>misc_feature(9)..(9)Xaa can be amino acid T or
Dmisc_feature(10)..(10)Xaa can be amino acid F or D or E 9Gln Xaa
Xaa Ser Xaa Tyr Pro Phe Xaa Xaa1 5 101015PRTArtificialSynthetic
sequencemisc_feature(13)..(13)Xaa can be amino acid F or S or T
10Arg Ala Ser Glu Ser Val Asp Arg Tyr Gly Asn Ser Xaa Ile His1 5 10
15117PRTArtificialSynthetic sequencemisc_feature(1)..(1)Xaa can be
amino acid R or C or D or E or Wmisc_feature(4)..(4)Xaa can be
amino acid N or D 11Xaa Thr Tyr Xaa Leu Glu Ser1
51210PRTArtificialSynthetic sequencemisc_feature(3)..(3)Xaa can be
amino acid T or I or Pmisc_feature(5)..(5)Xaa can be amino acid E
or Vmisc_feature(8)..(8)Xaa can be amino acid W or
Tmisc_feature(10)..(10)Xaa can be amino acid F or T 12Gln Gln Xaa
Asn Xaa Asp Pro Xaa Thr Xaa1 5 1013106PRTArtificialSynthetic
sequence 13Gln Ile Val Leu Thr Gln Ser Pro Ala Ile Met Ser Ala Ser
Pro Gly1 5 10 15Glu Lys Val Thr Ile Thr Cys Ser Ala Thr Ser Ser Val
Ser Tyr Met 20 25 30His Trp Phe Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Thr Ser Pro Lys
Leu Trp Ile Tyr 35 40 45Gly Thr Ser Asn Leu Ala Ser Gly Val Pro Ala
Arg Phe Ser Gly Ser 50 55 60Gly Ser Gly Thr Ser Tyr Ser Leu Thr Ile
Ser Arg Met Glu Ala Glu65 70 75 80Asp Ala Ala Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Gln
Gln Arg Ser Ser Tyr Pro Phe Thr 85 90 95Phe Gly Gln Gly Thr Lys Val
Glu Ile Lys 100 10514106PRTArtificialSynthetic sequence 14Gln Ile
Val Leu Thr Gln Ser Pro Ala Ile Met Ser Ala Ser Pro Gly1 5 10 15Glu
Lys Val Thr Ile Thr Cys Ser Ala Thr Ser Ser Glu Ser Tyr Met 20 25
30His Trp Phe Gln Gln Lys Pro Gly Thr Ser Pro Lys Leu Trp Ile Tyr
35 40 45His Thr Ser Asn Leu Ala Ser Gly Val Pro Ala Arg Phe Ser Gly
Ser 50 55 60Gly Ser Gly Thr Ser Tyr Ser Leu Thr Ile Ser Arg Met Glu
Ala Glu65 70 75 80Asp Ala Ala Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln Arg Ser Ser
Tyr Pro Phe Thr 85 90 95Phe Gly Gln Gly Thr Lys Val Glu Ile Lys 100
10515106PRTArtificialSynthetic sequences 15Ala Ile Gln Leu Thr Gln
Ser Pro Ser Ser Leu Ser Ala Ser Val Gly1 5 10 15Asp Arg Val Thr Ile
Thr Cys Ser Ala Thr Ser Ser Val Ser Tyr Met 20 25 30His Trp Tyr Gln
Gln Lys Pro Gly Gln Ala Pro Arg Leu Leu Ile Tyr 35 40 45Gly Thr Ser
Asn Leu Ala Ser Gly Val Pro Asp Arg Phe Ser Gly Ser 50 55 60Gly Ser
Gly Thr Asp Phe Thr Leu Lys Ile Ser Arg Val Glu Ala Glu65 70 75
80Asp Val Gly Val Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln Arg Ser Ser Tyr Pro Phe Thr
85 90 95Phe Gly Gln Gly Thr Lys Val Glu Ile Lys 100
10516106PRTArtificialSynthetic sequence 16Ala Ile Gln Leu Thr Gln
Ser Pro Ser Ser Leu Ser Ala Ser Val Gly1 5 10 15Asp Arg Val Thr Ile
Thr Cys Ser Ala Thr Ser Ser Val Ser Tyr Met 20 25 30His Trp Tyr Leu
Gln Lys Pro Gly Gln Ser Pro Gln Leu Leu Ile Tyr 35 40 45Gly Thr Ser
Asn Leu Ala Ser Gly Val Pro Asp Arg Phe Ser Gly Ser 50 55 60Gly Ser
Gly Thr Asp Phe Thr Leu Lys Ile Ser Arg Val Glu Ala Glu65 70 75
80Asp Val Gly Val Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln Arg Ser Ser Tyr Pro Phe Thr
85 90 95Phe Gly Gln Gly Thr Lys Val Glu Ile Lys 100
10517111PRTArtificialSynthetic sequence 17Asp Ile Val Leu Thr Gln
Ser Pro Asp Ser Leu Ala Val Ser Leu Gly1 5 10 15Gln Arg Ala Thr Ile
Ser Cys Arg Ala Ser Glu Ser Val Asp Arg Tyr 20 25 30Gly Asn Ser Phe
Ile His Trp Tyr Leu Gln Lys Pro Gly Gln Pro Pro 35 40 45Lys Leu Leu
Ile Tyr Arg Thr Tyr Asn Leu Glu Ser Gly Ile Pro Ala 50 55 60Arg Phe
Ser Gly Thr Gly Ser Arg Thr Asp Phe Thr Leu Thr Ile Asn65 70 75
80Pro Val Glu Ala Asp Asp Val Ala Thr Tyr Tyr Cys Gln Gln Thr Asn
85 90 95Glu Asp Pro Trp Thr Phe Gly Gln Gly Thr Lys Val Glu Ile Lys
100 105 11018122PRTArtificialSynthetic sequence 18Glu Val Gln Leu
Gln Gln Ser Gly Pro Glu Leu Val Lys Pro Gly Ala1 5 10 15Ser Val Lys
Ile Ser Cys Lys Thr Ser Gly Tyr Thr Phe Thr Glu Tyr 20 25 30Thr Met
His Trp Met Lys Gln Ser His Arg Lys Ser Leu Glu Trp Ile 35 40 45Gly
Gly Ile Asn Thr Asn Asn Gly Gly Thr Gly Tyr Asn Gln Lys Phe 50 55
60Lys Gly Lys Ala Thr Leu Thr Val Asp Lys Ser Ser Ser Thr Ala Tyr65
70 75 80Met Glu Leu Arg Ser Leu Thr Ser Glu Asp Ser Ala Val Tyr Phe
Cys 85 90 95Ala Arg Gly Ser Leu Tyr Ser Tyr Gly Asn Ser Tyr Phe Asp
Tyr Trp 100 105 110Gly Gln Gly Thr Leu Val Thr Val Ser Ser 115
12019122PRTArtificialSynthetic sequence 19Glu Val Gln Leu Gln Gln
Ser Gly Pro Glu Leu Val Lys Pro Gly Ala1 5 10 15Ser Val Lys Ile Ser
Cys Lys Thr Ser Gly Tyr Thr Glu Thr Glu Asp 20 25 30Thr Asp His Trp
Met Lys Gln Ser His Arg Lys Ser Leu Glu Trp Ile 35 40 45Gly Gly Glu
Asn Asp Asn Asn Gly Gly Thr Gly Tyr Asn Gln Lys Phe 50 55 60Lys Gly
Lys Ala Thr Leu Thr Val Asp Lys Ser Ser Ser Thr Ala Tyr65 70 75
80Met Glu Leu Arg Ser Leu Thr Ser Glu Asp Ser Ala Val Tyr Phe Cys
85 90 95Ala His Gly Ser Leu Tyr Ser Tyr Gly Asn Ser Tyr Phe Asp Tyr
Trp 100 105 110Gly Gln Gly Thr Leu Val Thr Val Ser Ser 115
12020122PRTArtificialSynthetic sequence 20Gln Val Gln Leu Val Gln
Ser Gly Ala Glu Val Lys Lys Pro Gly Ala1 5 10 15Ser Val Lys Val Ser
Cys Lys Ala Ser Gly Tyr Thr Phe Thr Glu Tyr 20 25 30Thr Met His Trp
Val Arg Gln Ala Arg Gly Gln Arg Leu Glu Trp Ile 35 40 45Gly Gly Ile
Asn Thr Asn Asn Gly Gly Thr Gly Tyr Asn Gln Lys Phe 50 55 60Lys Gly
Arg Val Thr Ile Ser Ala Asp Lys Ser Ile Ser Thr Ala Tyr65 70 75
80Leu Gln Trp Ser Ser Leu Lys Ala Ser Asp Thr Ala Met Tyr Tyr Cys
85 90 95Ala His Gly Ser Leu Tyr Ser Tyr Gly Asn Ser Tyr Phe Asp Tyr
Trp 100 105 110Gly Gln Gly Thr Leu Val Thr Val Ser Ser 115
12021122PRTArtificialSynthetic sequence 21Glu Val Gln Leu Val Gln
Ser Gly Ala Glu Val Lys Lys Pro Gly Glu1 5 10 15Ser Leu Arg Ile Ser
Cys Lys Gly Ser Gly Tyr Thr Phe Thr Glu Tyr 20 25 30Thr Met His Trp
Val Arg Gln Ala Pro Gly Gln Gly Leu Glu Trp Met 35 40 45Gly Gly Ile
Asn Thr Asn Asn Gly Gly Thr Gly Tyr Asn Gln Lys Phe 50 55 60Lys Gly
Arg Val Thr Ile Ser Ala Asp Lys Ser Ile Ser Thr Ala Tyr65 70 75
80Leu Gln Trp Ser Ser Leu Lys Ala Ser Asp Thr Ala Met Tyr Tyr Cys
85 90 95Ala His Gly Ser Leu Tyr Ser Tyr Gly Asn Ser Tyr Phe Asp Tyr
Trp 100 105 110Gly Gln Gly Thr Leu Val Thr Val Ser Ser 115
12022122PRTArtificialSynthetic sequence 22Glu Val Gln Leu Val Gln
Ser Gly Ala Glu Val Lys Lys Pro Gly Glu1 5 10 15Ser Leu Arg Ile Ser
Cys Lys Gly Ser Gly Tyr Thr Phe Thr Glu Tyr 20 25 30Thr Met His Trp
Ile Arg Gln Ser Pro Ser Arg Gly Leu Glu Trp Leu 35 40 45Gly Gly Ile
Asn Thr Asn Asn Gly Gly Thr Gly Tyr Asn Gln Lys Phe 50 55 60Lys Gly
Arg Val Thr Ile Ser Ala Asp Lys Ser Ile Ser Thr Ala Tyr65 70 75
80Leu Gln Trp Ser Ser Leu Lys Ala Ser Asp Thr Ala Met Tyr Tyr Cys
85 90 95Ala His Gly Ser Leu Tyr Ser Tyr Gly Asn Ser Tyr Phe Asp Tyr
Trp 100 105 110Gly Gln Gly Thr Leu Val Thr Val Ser Ser 115
12023119PRTArtificialSynthetic sequence 23Asp Val Gln Leu Gln Glu
Ser Gly Pro Gly Leu Val Lys Pro Ser Gln1 5 10 15Ser Leu Ser Leu Thr
Cys Ser Val Thr Gly Tyr Ser Ile Thr Thr Gly 20